May 22, 2020, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan – As part of the comprehensive response against COVID-19 pandemic, the United States Government announced an additional $1.5 million in funding through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to Kazakhstan. To date USAID has provided approximately $3.11 million in new emergency relief funding to help Kazakhstan respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. This assistance comes in addition to other health sector assistance provided by the Centers for Disease Control at$1.6 million that is also contributing to Kazakhstan’s efforts to combat COVID-19.

USAID will use these additional funds to strengthen the capacity of laboratories and health care workers to fight and contain the spread of COVID-19.

With previously announced funding, USAID programs in Kazakhstan are also preparing laboratory systems for large-scale testing and improving case management of infected patients. In addition, these programs engage with local communities, delivering accurate information to vulnerable populations to help stop the spread of COVID-19 and to prevent the spread of misinformation.

Over the last 20 years, the United States has provided more than $2 billion in assistance to Kazakhstan, including more than $86 million in health assistance to increase access to services that prevent the spread of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis (TB) and HIV. USAID supports activities to improve care, diagnosis, and prevention of drug-resistant TB and works to expand HIV/AIDS prevention and care services for the most at-risk populations. These resources have saved lives, protected people who are most vulnerable to disease, built health institutions, and promoted the stability of communities.

For more information about USAID’s response to COVID-19, please visit: https://www.usaid.gov/coronavirus-covid-19