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Volume 28, Supplement—December 2022
SUPPLEMENT ISSUE
Workforce

Use of Epidemiology Surge Support to Enhance Robustness and Expand Capacity of SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic Response, South Africa

Rayna Taback-EsraComments to Author , Diane Morof, Melissa Briggs-Hagen, Helen Savva, Simangele Mthethwa, Daniel Williams, Jennifer Drummond, Nancy Rothgerber, Michelle Smith, Meredith McMorrow, Mduduzi Ndlovu, Adeboye Adelekan, Gurpreet Kindra, Jacobus Olivier, Nkosi Mpofu, Katlego Motlhaoleng, Landiwe Khuzwayo, David Makapela, Patience Manjengwa, Anne Ochieng, Sarah Porter, Jonathan Grund, Karidia Diallo, and Romel Lacson
Author affiliations: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pretoria, South Africa (R. Taback-Esra, D. Morof, M. Briggs-Hagen, H. Savva, S. Mthethwa, D. Williams, J. Drummond, N. Rothgerber, M. Smith, M. McMorrow, M. Ndlovu, A. Adelekan, G. Kindra, J. Olivier, N. Mpofu, K. Motlhaoleng, L. Khuzwayo, D. Makapela, P. Manjengwa, A. Ochieng, S. Porter, J. Grund, K. Diallo, R. Lacson); US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Rockville, Maryland, USA (D. Morof, M. Briggs-Hagen, M. McMorrow)

Main Article

Table 2

CDC-SA COVID-19 communications response, South Africa, March–September 2020*

Agency Communications
National Department of Health
• Head of Department of the Provincial Department of Health: notification of the location, scope of work, and name of each CDC-SA staff member
• NICD: notification of the location, scope of work, and name of each CDC-SA staff member to ensure provincial and national cooperation of COVID-19 data flow
• Provincial NICD points of contact: notification of the location, scope of work, and name of each CDC-SA staff member to ensure provincial and national cooperation of COVID-19 data flow
US government communications
• Notification to US senior leadership within South Africa, including the nature and scope of support provided by CDC-SA
• Notification to provincial consular offices, with formal communications to Consul Generals under which the 7 provinces fall
• Weekly calls with consular staff for general COVID-19 updates
CDC-SA deployment team • Nightly (Monday–Friday) check-in calls for all deployers with the CDC-SA coordination team over the course of the 6-month deployment. These calls provided not only an update on the ever-changing global COVID-19 clinical guidance but provided an essential psychological support to deployers
• Coordination calls with the logistic teams, including the driver support team. Because of the challenging nature of the times, including the severe nature of the national lockdown requirements, those engagements became essential in navigating many unknown aspects of travel, personal protective equipment requirements, COVID-19 exposures, and, most important, collegial support

*CDC-SA, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention–South Africa; NCID, South Africa National Institute of Communicable Diseases.

Main Article

Page created: June 29, 2022
Page updated: December 11, 2022
Page reviewed: December 11, 2022
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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