Test to Treat, a new USAID initiative for the treatment of those with mild and moderate COVID-19 at risk of severe disease, aims to further strengthen health systems' responses to COVID-19. Test-to-treat programming prepares health systems, health workers, and communities to make rapid COVID-19 testing broadly accessible for people to get tested as soon as they develop COVID-19 symptoms. It then ensures that those at highest risk of severe illness can access key oral treatment options early in their COVID-19 illness to prevent severe disease and hospitalization. Integrating test-to-treat programming strengthens health systems’ capacities to quickly identify new infections and initiate appropriate treatment in high-risk patients. Treating sick patients while they are still at home and before they get too sick can reduce severe COVID-19 illness and death and reduce the burden on health systems. USAID announced a $20 million investment for piloting Test to Treat programming in twenty lower-and middle-income countries. The ten countries announced today include: Bangladesh, Botswana, Côte d’Ivoire, El Salvador, Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Senegal. RISE is supporting phased implementation in Bangladesh, Ghana, Lesotho, Mozambique, and Rwanda.
RISE will be working with Ministries of Health, civil societies, healthcare workers, and others such as The Global Fund in the ten identified countries to pilot test-to-treat. The best practices and lessons learned from these efforts will help countries develop plans to scale up their programs on a national level, and can be shared with countries around the world, including the United States. The pilots will position countries to act quickly in the case of a surge in COVID-19 cases.
For more information on this initiative, please visit:
These documents have been developed in conjunction with USAID to review the scope of work for the Test to Treat project and the associated implementation framework.
USAID Test to Treat Overview Presentation
Test to Treat Implementation Guide
Implementation Model Development Aid
Sample Agenda: Test to Treat Training
*Change time and sessions as needed for country setting*
Fact Sheet: Fast-Track Testing
Fact Sheet: Molnupiravir
Fact Sheet: Paxlovid
Fact Sheet: T2T FAQs for Clinicians
Fact Sheet: COVID Self Tests
Clinical Algorithm Presentation
COVID Oral Antivirals Clinical Algorithm
Action Plan Worksheet
Clinical Algorithm Practice Cases
T2T Supervision Guide: A tool to assess implementation strengths and gaps using the Plan-Do-Study-Act framework.
Photos taken by the RISE Rwanda team.