BackgroundCorona Virus Disease (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which originated in Wuhan, China in late 2019, has spread across the globe, rapidly reaching classification as a pandemic. As of September 24, 2020, more than 31.7 million cases and 973,000 deaths have been identified worldwide and nearly every country has been impacted.1According to the World Health Organization (WHO) surveillance data, the African region (AFRO) has 1,154,171 confirmed cases and 24,464 deaths from COVID-19 as of September 24, 2020.1,2 Although there is optimism that the pandemic response in Africa will be informed by efforts from other regions of the world, there are unique socioeconomic and health aspects in the African context.3 Additionally, Africa faces a number of challenges in identifying and treating COVID-19 cases, including low relative per-capita health resources, a rapidly growing population, and multiple endemic infectious diseases.4Rwanda is an East African nation of more than 12 million people, with 83% of the population living in rural areas.5 Rwanda has made significant advancements in healthcare and economic development over the last 20 years and has emerged as a leader in healthcare in the East African region. The country operates under a universal healthcare model where public health insurance coverage is nearly 84%, with another 6% of the population covered through other insurance schemes.6 Rwanda has an estimated 1350 doctors, 9551 nurses, and 21,826 hospital beds for its 30 districts, for an average of 8919 people per doctor, 1261 people per nurse, and 552 people per bed.7 Per district, the population per doctor ranges from 1725 in Nyarugenge to 54,266 in Nyaruguru. The population per nurse ranges from 412 (Nyarugenge) to 3256 (Nyaruguru), and the population per bed from 288 (Nyarugenge) to 1025 (Nyagatare, Eastern Province).7 In comparison, the global averages for population per doctor, nurse, and bed are 666, 294, and 370, respectively, and averages in Sub-Saharan Africa for population per doctor, nurse, and bed are 5000, 1000, and 833, respectively.8 Rwanda has eight national referral hospitals, four provincial hospitals and 36 district hospitals.6 Locally, there are over 45,000 community health workers working at 499 health centers and 476 health posts, providing the population further access to the health system.6 While African countries have set up the Africa Task Force for Coronavirus Preparedness and Response (AFTCOR) in concert with the African Union Commission, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), and the WHO,5 the Rwandan government has also taken an engaged and innovative approach to COVID-19. As part of its COVID response, Rwanda announced the formation of a Joint Task Force on March 3rd, 2020 which created the Rwandan Coronavirus National Preparedness and Response Plan with the primary objective of “stopping the human-to-human transmission of the virus and caring for those affected”.9