Mike Habinshuti1, Yvan Butera1, Daniel Nyamwasa2, Clarisse Musanabaganwa1, Pacifique Ndishimye1, Nadia Hitimana3,*, Theophile Dushime4, Christian Nsanzabaganwa5, Fidele Byiringiro5, Muhammed Semakula1, Koutangni Morel Nonhouegnon Gilchrist4,6, Sabin Nsanzimana1, Leon Mutesa4,6
1Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), Joint Task Force COVID-19, Rwanda Ministry of Health, Kigali, Rwanda
2Joint Task force COVID-19, Kacyiru Hospital, Kigali Rwanda
3Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), Kigali, Rwanda
4Joint Task Force COVID-19, Rwanda Ministry of Health (MOH), Kigali, Rwanda
5Rwanda Military Hospital, Kigali, Rwanda
6Center for Human Genetics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda
Rwanda’s response activities continue to be led through a multi sectoral, multi-partners approach: The Prime Minister and the National Epidemic Preparedness & Response Coordination Committee (NEPRCC) continue to lead response activities via the COVID-19 Joint Task Force Committee (JTFC). Since March 2020, the JFTC works with expert advisory teams from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, the Ministry of Internal Security and the Ministry of Local Government as well health focused international organizations, for the management of COVID-19.
Rwanda’s COVID-19 response activities are implemented through the COVID-19 national Incident Management and Coordination Structure
Members of the command post, under different cells develop mathematical models to predict Rwanda’s outbreak and use epidemiological models to forecast COVID-19 supply needs under different simulated scenarios. The command post also develops and presents to advisory teams different lockdown exit strategies with subsequent epidemiological effects/impacts.
Early identification of cases, prompt isolation, testing and contact tracing continue to play major roles in allowing the country to better manage the global pandemic. Cases are mainly identified through surveillance systems at points of entries (now mostly at land borders), at community and health facility levels as well as through contact tracing and active case search focusing on populations at high-risk.
