In managing the national response to HIV and AIDS in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the National AIDS Coordinating Committee Secretariat (NACC) recognizes that conditions arising from natural disasters and other threatening events have the potential to disrupt service delivery in the continuum of care.

At the onset of COVID-19, the NACC, through its Secretariat, met with agencies to assess how service delivery was being impacted and identify the needs for further support. Information was provided to NGOs to mitigate the impact of restrictions that affected access to care. The most vulnerable, including People Living with HIV (PLHIV) were identified and the NACC worked with NGOs to facilitate the distribution of hundreds of relief food hampers, “baby bags”, hand sanitizers and face masks to those in need.

This relief effort was also augmented by networking with UN Agencies and other NGOs and agencies to provide a sustained flow of social intervention. The national response to HIV and AIDS during COVID-19 could not have happened without networking and collaboration by all stakeholders.