New Delhi, May 12 (IANS): The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has committed $3.6 million to assist India's efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

A US government statement said the initial tranche of funding will seek to further strengthen and support the Central government's efforts to increase laboratory capacity for SARS-COV-2 testing, including molecular diagnostics and serology.

The funds will also support the development of Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) centers that can improve the ability of hospital networks to detect Covid-19 cases and strengthen local health systems through enhanced surveillance and monitoring systems.

The CDC will work with local partners to assist in the development of a strong public health workforce to support India's capacity to respond not only to this pandemic, but also to future threats as well, the statement said.

It will also include planning for health emergency operation centres. In addition, the statement said, the CDC India programme will provide technical assistance for the ongoing crisis emergency and risk communication efforts of the government.

Since early January, the CDC's India office has been collaborating with various government institutes to support the Covid-19 response in India.

According to the statement, the US government agencies, including the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention, and the Department of Health and Human Services, have provided more than $1.4 billion in health assistance and nearly $2.8 billion in total assistance to India over the last 20 years.