Tag: WHO

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Featured Work - Quality Assurance & Policy

WHO guidance: use of SARS-CoV-2 antigen-detection rapid diagnostic tests for COVID-19 self-testing

Timely and accurate diagnostic testing for SARS-CoV-2 is an essential part of a comprehensive COVID-19 response strategy. Ag-RDTs can be performed by individuals in which they collect their own specimen, perform a simple rapid test and interpret their test result themselves at a time and place of their choosing, termed COVID-19 self-testing. This interim guidance provides a new recommendation that COVID-19 self-testing, using SARS-CoV-2 Ag-RDTs, should be offered as part of SARS-CoV-2 testing services. It also includes implementation considerations that can guide decisions on whether, and how, to adopt self-testing in different contexts, including the populations being prioritized; the disease prevalence in that population; and the impact on accessibility of testing, health care services and result reporting.

Read the full WHO interim guidance here

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Resource Centre - Media & Press

What is the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, how is it structured and how does it work?

The ACT-Accelerator has supported the most rapid and coordinated effort in world history to develop tools to fight disease.

How the the ACT-Accelerator works

The Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator is a time-limited global collaboration designed to rapidly use existing global public health infrastructure and expertise to accelerate the rollout of COVID-19 diagnostic tests, treatments and vaccines globally and overcome inequities in low- and middle-income countries.

What does the ACT-Accelerator do?

The ACT-Accelerator focuses on development, production and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines.

Launched in April 2020, it has supported the most rapid and coordinated effort in world history to develop tools to fight disease. 

Now, ACT-Accelerator is expanding to provide access to COVID-19 tools globally. 

Who is involved?

The ACT-Accelerator brings together expertise from several global health institutions, academic researchers, policymakers, regulators, the private sector, including research and development, the manufacturing industry, and those working on market shaping, procurement and delivery.

How does it work?

The ACT-Accelerator focuses on vaccination, diagnostics and treatment.

The Diagnostics Pillar is co-convened by the FIND, the global alliance for diagnostics (FIND) and the Global Fund, focusing on the needs of low- and middle-income countries in their fight against COVID-19.

World partners
WHO leads programmes on regulatory policy, product procurement, allocation, and country access and support. The organization also supports research and development. 

The Health Systems Connector (HSC) works across the three product pillars. It is co-convened by the Global Fund, the World Bank, and WHO, with support from The Global Financing Facility for Women, Children, and Adolescents (GFF). 

What are the ACT-Accelerator’s goals?

To identify and address country-specific issues that delay the rollout of tests, vaccines or treatments and ensure that there is sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE) available to health workers.

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Add Resources - Scaling Up & Sustainability

Technical guidance and courses on COVID-19 offered by WHO

WHO has published guidance and advice to help governments, health professionals and the general public respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Ranging across multiple areas and numerous countries, the common thread through the technical guidance is the need for governments to make informed decisions and to clearly communicate with their citizens. 

OpenWHO, WHO’s interactive, web-based platform, also offers online courses to people preparing to work in epidemics, pandemics and health emergencies, or who already doing so. It has courses on COVID-19 in many of the world’s most commonly spoken languages.

WHO strengthens public health laboratory systems throughout the health emergencies preparedness, readiness response and recovery cycle.

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Featured Work - Scaling Up & Sustainability

COVID-19 Ag RDT training package for community healthcare workers

Street scene outside the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, Delhi.December 2017Photo credit: FIND / Ben Phillips

The SARS-CoV-2 antigen rapid diagnostic test community health worker (SARS-CoV-2 Ag RDT CHW) training package is a structured, comprehensive collection of training resources and tools.

It aims to support institutions to organize, run and evaluate training of trainers and/or training of CHWs who will be performing SARS-CoV-2 testing using Ag RDTs.

The package can be used in face-to-face training or as a blend of remote face-to-face training. Materials can be adapted and customized based on national guidelines and participant target groups.

Training addresses the theoretical and practical components of SARS-CoV-2 Ag RDT testing and provides CHW trainees with the skills for, and resources on, how to safely perform SARS-CoV-2 Ag RDT tests. It does not intend to address the implementation of Ag RDT testing across the diagnostic network.

The materials for the training package are freely available to download, with links to material for facilitators provided in the document.

Access training package here

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WHO webinar on genomic surveillance and SARS-CoV-2 sequencing capacity

In this webinar, WHO and FIND co-host a discussion on sequencing capacity for SARS-CoV-2 and global initiatives to strengthen genomic surveillance.

Co-chaired by Natacha Milhano, WHO Public Health Laboratory Strengthening Unit, and Dr Dhamari Naidoo, WHO South-East Asia, it featured the following speakers and topics:

  • Dr Lisa Carter: Genomic surveillance strategy for pathogens with epidemic or pandemic potential
  • Dr Anita Suresh: Mapping and building genomic surveillance capacity for COVID-19 and beyond
  • Dr Senjuti Saha: Towards building capacity and accelerating genomic surveillance: one step at a time 
  • Dr Sikhulile Moyo: Pathogen genomics of SARS-CoV-2: Lessons from Botswana.

Participants shared learnings from the experiences of Botswana (Moyo) and Bangladesh (Saha) on building next generation sequencing capacity, and the global strategy launched by WHO on 31 March 2022 (Carter).

The presentation on 20 April 2022 was in English, with simultaneous interpretations in Arabic, French, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

Watch the webinar on YouTube

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Enhancing response to Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant

WHO released this technical brief and guide to prioritize actions for member states in January 2022.

It aims to enhance response to the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant, designated by WHO as a variant of concern on 26 November 2021. Based on the information available, the overall risk related to Omicron was identified as being very high.

The brief is divided into three main sections:

  • An executive summary of key current technical information
  • Current evidence on Omicron
  • Priority actions for member states.

Previous versions of this technical brief are available on this link.

Read the full WHO brief here

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Add Resources - Research & Development

R&D blueprint expands for COVID-19 epidemic and beyond

The R&D Blueprint is a global strategy and preparedness plan that allows the rapid activation of research and development activities during epidemics. 

It aims to fast-track the availability of effective tests, vaccines and medicines that can be used to save lives and avert large scale crises. 

With WHO as convener, WHO Member States welcomed the development of the Blueprint at the World Health Assembly in May 2016.

As part of WHO’s response to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, the R&D Blueprint was activated during COVID-19 to accelerate diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics for the novel virus. 

This aims to improve coordination between scientists and global health professionals, accelerate the research and development process, and develop new norms and standards to inform the global response.

Building on the response to recent outbreaks of Ebola virus disease, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, the R&D Blueprint has facilitated a coordinated and accelerated response to COVID-19.

In 202, WHO published the final version of Target Product Profiles (TPP) for priority COVID-19 diagnostics. These TPPs describe the desirable and minimally acceptable profiles for four tests.

  • Read more on the R&D Blueprint here
  • Read more on COVID-19 Blueprint  here
  • Read more on TPP here
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Add Resources - Quality Assurance & Policy

Global genomic surveillance strategy for pathogens with pandemic and epidemic potential, 2022–2032

Looking at the decade 2022-2032, WHO presents a global genomic surveillance strategy for pathogens with pandemic and epidemic potential.

The goal is to strengthen and scale surveillance of these pathogens to enable quality, timely and appropriate public health actions across local to global surveillance systems.

WHO’s strategy outlines five objectives with accompanying actions that need implementation plans.

It also highlights considerations to build global genomic surveillance over the next 10 years, as well as monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.

The report includes two annexes:

  • Strategy development and stakeholder engagement
  • Key WHO assets for the strategy.

Read report here

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Genomic sequencing of SARS-CoV-2: a guide to implementation for maximum impact on public health, 8 January 2021

WHO released its publication, Genomic sequencing of SARS-CoV-2: a guide to implementation for maximum impact on public health, on 8 January 2021.

As the genomes of SARS-CoV-2 are able to be sequenced almost within real time, this enables increased speed to inform public health responses.

This has led to more laboratories investing in viral genome sequencing. Before starting such a programme, however, the intended goals of sequencing must be understood and a strategy for analysis in place, as well as a plan for how findings will be used.

Decisions about sequencing goals should be made in a multidisciplinary framework that includes representatives of all stakeholders. Funding sources must also be identified, and ethical aspects evaluated.

To maximize public health impact, usable and timely results need to be produced and communicated.

This document, available in English and Portuguese, provides this type of guidance for laboratories on maximizing the impact of SARS-CoV-2 sequencing activities now and in the future.

Read the guide here


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Featured Work - Procurement & Supply Management Featured Work - Quality Assurance & Policy

WHO product, policy and standards related to COVID-19

WHO’s health products policy and standards team supports countries to formulate evidence-based policies, and to ensure good practice and good governance throughout the supply chain.

Its work includes the Essential Diagnostic List (EDL), which aims to provide evidence-based guidance. The EDL is a reference for the development or update of national lists of essential in vitro diagnostic tests.

There are infographics and video clips available to explain the use of the EDL and the importance of diagnostics.

The health products policy and standards team also supports countries on access to health products for COVID-19. 

It works with the (ACT) Accelerator to enhance the development, manufacture, procurement and distribution of COVID-19 treatments for populations in low- and middle-income countries. This include medicines, vaccines, medical devices, and in vitro diagnostics. 

The WHO’s Disease Commodity Packages (DCPs) are a series of disease specific datasheets that list the critical commodities and the technical specifications for each commodity per disease. This overview includes links to DCPs for various diseases, including COVID-19, which may be downloaded.