ICAP

COVID-19

COVID-19 & Emerging Diseases

“When COVID-19 emerged, we realized that we had to pivot to quickly mobilize the resources needed in order to respond to the urgent calls for assistance that we were receiving.”

— Wafaa El-Sadr, ICAP Director

From the moment the first evidence of the coronavirus pandemic appeared in late 2019, ICAP at Columbia University recognized the potentially devastating impact of COVID-19 in many of the countries where it works, countries where health systems are particularly fragile. Building on nearly two decades of experience in responding to the world’s most significant public health challenges and harnessing its longstanding partnerships with ministries of health across the globe, ICAP mounted a comprehensive response to COVID-19 in 24 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Americas in partnership with stakeholders in each of the countries.

With tens of millions of dollars in funding raised through relentless efforts and a mandate to act quickly in the face of a dangerous and rapidly spreading disease, ICAP directed its teams and these resources to create firewalls of detection, prevention, and response to stand between the spreading virus and the communities in its path.

ICAP’s ongoing response to the continuing pandemic has spanned the gamut of public health activities, including:

  • Training of health workers
  • Standing up emergency operation centers
  • Establishing fever clinics and health brigades
  • Procuring personal protective and medical equipment
  • Identifying new prevention and treatment methods
  • Optimizing infection prevention and control
  • Supporting surveillance and conducting surveys

COVID-19 News

(Yahoo News) Here’s what you need to know about the new COVID-19 booster

(Washington Post) White House pause on free at-home covid tests brings access challenges

(Miami Herald) Top U.S. cruise lines set to allow passengers without COVID-19 shots on most voyages

(Newsday) Is LI’s stubbornly high COVID case rate the new normal?

(ABC News) New COVID guidelines ease in-person work but won’t spur return to office, experts say

Second REACH Cohort Prepares to Develop ‘Playbooks’ for Future Health Emergencies

(Today) Worried about BA.5? Epidemiologists share what they’re doing to stay safe this summer

(New York Times) As Sixth Covid Wave Hits, Many New Yorkers Shrug It Off

(Bloomberg) Can I Catch Covid Outside?

ICAP-Supported Survey Helps Assess COVID-19 Infection Trends to Aid Pandemic Response Strategies in Eswatini

(Us & Them Podcast) The Global Vaccine Paradigm Shifts

(Newsday) Why are so many with COVID booster shots testing positive?

COVID-19 Resources

Risk of mortality in HIV-infected COVID-19 patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The case to scale up edutainment as an effective public health communication intervention to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe

Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases: Lessons from COVID-19 Pandemic Response in Zimbabwe

Risk Factors For COVID-19 Infection Among Healthcare Workers. A First Report from a Living Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Protecting HIV Service Delivery for Key Populations in Southern Africa in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Maternal, Sexual and Reproductive Health in Marginalised Areas: Renewing Community Involvement Strategies beyond the Worst of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variants, Inequitable Vaccine Distribution, and Implications for COVID-19 Control in Sub-Saharan Africa

Inappropriate Antibiotic Use in Zimbabwe in the COVID-19 Era: A Perfect Recipe for Antimicrobial Resistance

The Landscape of COVID-19 Vaccination in Zimbabwe: A Narrative Review and Analysis of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of the Programme

Unpacking the Implications of SARS-CoV-2 Breakthrough Infections on COVID-19 Vaccination Programs

Effect of COVID‑19 Pandemic on Older New York City Residents Living at Home

ICAP Grand Rounds Webinar (Archived Recording): The Cost of COVID-19: Understanding LGBTQ+ Experiences in New York City