USAID partner with Socios en Salud, the Peruvian affiliate of the U.S. non-profit organization Partners in Health, responds to COVID-19 in Peru.

This Alliance supports aggressive contact tracing, community mobilization, and systematic screening and isolation to prevent community spread of COVID-19. The $3.83 million investment from USAID mobilizes additional $1 million from Boston-based Partners in Health.

HOW DOES THE ACTIVITY WORK?

The Alliance supports the administration of COVID-19 tests (with private funds) for the most vulnerable populations, improves the capacity to provide oxygen therapy at public health facilities, provides teleconsultations through a medical call center, and activates a community health worker network to safely conduct outreach visits to identify families in need of clinical and social support. Activities are focused on high-risk regions for COVID-19, including Lima, the Northern Coast and Amazon jungle regions of Peru, as prioritized by Peru’s Ministry of Health.

RESULTS ACHIEVED

• 10 rapid response teams to perform epidemiological surveillance and contact tracing: five in the Integrated Health Networks Directorate (DIRIS) Lima Norte, and five in DIRIS Lima Este.
• 28,992 rapid tests performed.
• 6,047 molecular tests performed in support of DIRIS Lima Norte.
• One mobile laboratory with capacity to perform molecular testing for SARS-CoV-2 donated to the Ministry of Health.  
• Improved capacities to provide oxygen therapy in seven hospitals and three local health networks, adding 141 oxygen outlet points and delivering 71 10L/min oxygen concentrators (in La Libertad, Lambayeque, Lima, San Martin and Ica).
• Attended 157,264 non-COVID and 177,556 COVID medicine teleconsultations.
• Tested 2,167 persons for TB using Gene Xpert MTB Ultra Rif, identifying 55 positive samples, 6 of them corresponding to multi-drug resistant tuberculosis.
• A mental health chat-bot implemented: 2,439 persons screened, 1,935 of whom were identified as suffering a mental issue, among the latter 1,902 received psychological first aid and 326 were referred for psychiatric consultation.
• A version of the mental health chat-bot in quechua implemented: 42 persons screened.
• 20 Community Health Workers in activity conducted 13,179 house visits and screened 26,287 persons.
• Provided social support to 2,351 households.