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

(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?

ICAP-Supported Study in Uganda Assesses What Drives or Delays Vaccination Uptake

(Daily Mail) Has America’s COVID wave peaked?

(Fort Worth Star-Telegram) Why are boosted Americans testing positive for COVID more than those without extra shot?

(Bloomberg) How to Minimize COVID Risk on a Cruise

(Hill Reporter) Summer Bummer: COVID Cases Are Six Times Higher Than This Time Last Year

(NY Times) Why Adams Is Rejecting Mask Mandates as Covid Cases Rise in New York

(Staten Island Advance) NYC launches Pandemic Response Institute in effort to improve emergency preparedness

COVID-19 Resources

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

Experiences of LGBTQ+ Populations in New York City During the COVID-19 Pandemic (The LEXICON Study)

Optimising COVID-19 Vaccination Policy to Mitigate SARS-CoV-2 Transmission within Schools in Zimbabwe

Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on HIV Services: Findings from 11 Sub-Saharan African Countries

SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine-Related Adverse Events in Zimbabwe: The Need to Strengthen Pharmacovigilance in resource-limited settings

Zimbabwe’s Prison Facilities: Preparedness for Institutional COVID-19 Outbreaks

The Impact of Cyclones and COVID-19 on HIV and the Health System in Mozambique: A Mixed Methods Study