It is not clear when the facility will be built.

After successfully containing COVID-19 for much of the pandemic, Timor-Leste is facing its worst outbreak to date driven by the virulent Delta variant, with hospitalisations and deaths at a record high throughout August.

The support is part of a new $2.3 million COVID-19 assistance fund to Timor-Leste that includes funding to build a mobile intensive care unit in Dili and a borehole project in Batugade in Bobonaro.   

“The United States stands with Timor-Leste as an enduring friend and partner as we work to combat COVID-19. The United States is taking a comprehensive approach to ending the pandemic, mitigating COVID-19’s harm to people and societies, and strengthening global recovery and readiness for future pandemic threats,” U.S. Embassy Chargé Affairs Tom Daley said in a statement.

Timor-Leste’s Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak welcomed the support, posting on social media: “Thank you to the State of the American People for your support and generosity.”

Timor-Leste unfortunately reported five new COVID-19 deaths on Monday, including a  14-year-old boy from Lospalos.

The unidentified boy was unvaccinated and died of acute respiratory syndrome and COVID-19, health authorities said. He was receiving treatment at the Vera Cruz centre.