The United Nations Development Programme has given Samoa 2,000 Covid-19 diagnostic testing cartridges.
Photo: supplied
The Associate Minister of Health, Tofa Li'o Foleni, said these cartridges are in high demand, given a worldwide shortage, so the government appreciates the UN's gift.
The shipment is part of UNDP's support to help Samoa's response with funding from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund, which was approved last year to help address the measles epidemic.
Some of that money was re-allocated for Covid-19 assistance.
It has also been used to provide software licences to support the government's Business Continuity Plan, along with laptops, webcams and a multipurpose scanner to help digitize medical records and to enable tele-medicine in district hospitals, following the measles outbreak.
Last month the UNDP gave Covid-19 testing equipment to the Scientific Research Organization of Samoa.