In a virtual press conference, the director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Carissa Etienne, reported that one million 562 thousand 967 Covid-19 infections and 4 thousand 789 deaths were reported last week.
The data represents a 0.9 percent decrease in cases overall and a 3.5 percent drop in deaths compared to the previous week.
“This virus knows no borders, especially now that international travel has resumed. We must use all the tools at our disposal to protect ourselves, particularly those most vulnerable to serious illness and death,” Etienne said.
He also said that outbreaks of other diseases are likely to appear, which will require the rapid development of new vaccines, diagnostics and drugs to combat them.
In that case, he mentioned monkeypox, of which a total of 1,325 cases have been reported since May 10 in 14 countries and territories of the Americas, although no deaths have yet been reported.
“We are focusing on efforts to strengthen research capacity in Latin America and the Caribbean, particularly in the development of mRNA vaccines,” said the PAHO director.
He asserted that as learned during the Covid-19 pandemic, immunogen manufacturing capacity alone is not enough to ensure equitable access; “But in the history of our region, we have managed to reach millions more people when we work together.”
To achieve this goal, he said, they are coordinating among regional and international partners in order to shape a shared roadmap and improve the production capacity of health technologies in the region.
“We need a strong regional regulatory system so that we can ensure that new medical tools are safe and effective,” the directive said.
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