"This assistance will primarily provide health-related support and supplies to bolster water and sanitation activities,” the U.S embassy said.

The support is part of nearly $274 million by both the State Department and USAID in ‘emergency health and humanitarian assistance to help countries in need, on top of the funding we already provide to multilateral organizations.’

       Somalia has since recorded five cases of COVID-19 with three cases reported in Mogadishu and two others in the break-away region of Somaliland.

     The funding announcement comes following concerns raised by President Farmaajo that the COVID-19 disease could adversely affect revenue mobilization and personal incomes calling for concerted efforts by countries in the region.

       "The economic losses are grave and, as a region, while we may have individual economic and fiscal interventions to ease the pain on a short-term basis, we do not benefit from a collective fund to mitigate the worst of the economic shock to come from the virus in the medium to long term,” President Farmaajo told the IGAD Extraordinary Summit Tuesday