Women carry Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) equipment for outdoor support clinics, close to Thaker, Leer County, South Sudan, March 23, 2017.

The United States has announced an additional 18.8 million dollars for South Sudan’s coronavirus response.

This increases the total funds given to the country to nearly $40.6 million.

According to the statement seen by Eye Radio, the additional funds will support humanitarian assistance, including emergency food assistance.

It will also back public risk communications about preventing infection, infection prevention and control, logistics, coordination, case management, and water, sanitation and hygiene.

 The US State Department notes that more than $5.6 million will support refugees, IDPs, and host communities in South Sudan during the pandemic.

“These funds prioritize populations affected by ongoing humanitarian crises, particularly displaced people, because of their heightened vulnerability, the elevated risk of severe outbreaks in camps and informal settlements, and anticipated disproportionate mortality in these populations,” the statement reads.

Part of the funds will also expand training of health workers and peer educators on proper practices to prevent and control infections in health facilities, protect communities and patients, particularly those at high risk.

It will further strengthen the capabilities of health facilities and communities to manage and refer cases of the coronavirus.

These shall include expanding efforts to address community concerns, including by tracking and combating rumors, misconceptions, and grievances.

“This assistance supports case-management and keeps essential health care operating; provides risk-communication and community-engagement programs; supports efforts to prevent and control infections; provides safe water and hygiene items; provides emergency food assistance; and strengthens local capacity and coordination by working with existing health structures and with others in the humanitarian community,” the State Department said.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the U.S. Government says it has committed more than 1 billion dollars -specifically aimed at helping governments, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations fight the pandemic.

It concludes that the latest funding builds upon past U.S. investments in South Sudan that total $6.4 billion over the past 20 years, including more than $405 million for the health sector.

The United States remains the largest contributor to dozens of international organizations, including the United Nations (UN) Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

It contributes to core operating budgets, which sustain the organizational structure and support functions that enable global humanitarian, development, peacebuilding, and other actions, and ensure consistent oversight for, and the effectiveness and efficiency of, U.S. Government assistance in countries around the world.

“The United States has mobilized as a nation to make this an impressive global effort. Working with the private sector, we are actively fulfilling President Trump’s commitment to provide ventilators to our partners and allies in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America,” the statement notes.

Approximately $92.1 million in global and regional health and humanitarian programming is being provided worldwide through international organizations and NGOs, including for programs that support supply-chain management, new partnerships, monitoring and evaluation, and more.

“Our foreign assistance funding to date for the response to the COVID-19 pandemic includes an initial $23 million specifically to provide ventilators to some of these partners and allies. We expect to make future additional purchases and shipments of ventilators and related supplies,” the State Department said.