Addressing COVID-19 in El Salvador
5 ways USAID is responding to the pandemic
In Central America, the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated existing challenges across the region, including an ongoing drought and the aftermath of two devastating tropical storms.
In El Salvador, as many as 500,000 people are experiencing acute food insecurity. The country’s GDP declined by 8 percent in 2020, and poverty increased by 4.6 percentage points between 2019 and 2020.
Since 2020, USAID has provided over $28 million in direct COVID-19 development support to El Salvador. USAID, however, is delivering more than just funds to fight the effects of the pandemic. Here are five ways that USAID is working to alleviate the challenges presented by COVID-19 in El Salvador.
1. Providing Lifesaving Vaccines and Equipment: The U.S. government, through USAID, has donated 3.2 million COVID-19 vaccines and supported the purchase of laboratory and hospital equipment and personal protective supplies, as well as the training of health workers who provide critical care, prevent the spread of COVID-19, and administer vaccines. As of March, about 66 percent of El Salvador’s population has been fully vaccinated.
2. Tracking Infectious Diseases: Last year, USAID helped the Government of El Salvador establish a National COVID-19 Emergency Operations Center. Now, we are helping the government transform the center into a whole-of-government institution that also tracks other priority infectious diseases. Using a USAID-supported real-time geographic information monitoring system to track immunizations and cases, the Government of El Salvador will be able to prepare for, respond to, and ultimately prevent future pandemic threats. The center will be affiliated with the government’s Institute of Public Health.
3. Preventing Vaccine Wastage: To keep COVID-19 vaccines stored at cold temperatures until they can be administered, USAID helped the Government of El Salvador use a remote temperature sensing technology for the national COVID-19 immunization cold-chain system. This smart technology can inform the Ministry of Health of temperature fluctuations as the vaccines are transported from headquarters to rural areas. This is the first time this has been done in a developing country context. USAID helped install this technology at headquarters, and it is now being rolled out to five regional vaccine depots before expanding to 162 vaccination centers across the country.
4. Sharing Lessons Learned: To share lessons learned on COVID-19 interventions, USAID has fostered regional cooperation in Northern Central America and beyond, including at a virtual international gathering hosted by the Ministry of Health’s Hospital El Salvador. Technical exchanges with COVID teams from the Northern Triangle region will take place in El Salvador at the end of July, to be followed in Guatemala and Honduras.
5. Training: USAID supported remote telemedicine clinical training for 6,000 COVID-19 vaccination teams from across the country, which is crucial in preventing the spread of COVID-19 when in-person options are not possible. The Hospital El Salvador Telemedicine Center is receiving technical assistance from USAID to replicate this training regionally through agreements established with medical facilities. Also, USAID partners have supported training for the central staff of the Ministry of Education as it rolls out its national back-to-classroom strategy.
In addition to these lifesaving COVID-19 activities, USAID’s Economic Competitiveness Project helps micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises recover after the economic downturn from COVID-19, create jobs, and increase economic opportunities at home. In 2020 and 2021, USAID assistance for these businesses generated $137 million in new sales and exports. According to the World Bank, El Salvador’s GDP rebounded in 2021, and is expected to grow 2.9 percent this year.
COVID-19 is one of the greatest challenges that the world has ever experienced. USAID is on the frontlines providing the solutions that will save and improve lives for the people of El Salvador.
