Novacyt S.A., an international clinical diagnostics company, will donate one million COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests to UNICEF to help contain the spread of the virus through testing. Novacyt’s donation will help UNICEF work with governments to fill gaps in COVID-19 testing capacities. 

All over the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has upended the lives of children and their families. During this time, UNICEF has provided support to the most vulnerable children, working to safeguard their access to education, nutrition and essential health services. At the same time, UNICEF acts as a key partner and lead procurer for the Access to COVID19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A), a global collaboration to speed up the development, production and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines. 

By supporting ACT-A, UNICEF aims to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic, potentially save the lives of frontline workers and high-risk populations, make health systems more resilient and ultimately, help ensure that children in low- and middle-income countries survive and thrive.

Novacyt will send the test kits to countries where there is both the need and infrastructure to perform PCR testing. The first four countries whose Ministries of Health have expressed interest and capacity to receive the test kits are Nigeria, Palestine, Maldives, and South Sudan. 

Clarence Jaccard-Briat, General Director at UNICEF France said, “We are grateful for the contribution Novacyt is providing to UNICEF’s role in COVID-19 testing. Our efforts to fight the pandemic won’t stop until every child and every family is safe and in good health. Through ACT-A and the COVAX Facility, UNICEF, along with partners, is on a historic mission to vaccinate the world. We invite other partners to join us and support us in this race to end COVID-19. Because no one is safe until everyone is safe.”