In the Americas, more than 1.3 million new COVID-19 cases have been recorded, while nearly 36,000 die from the disease within one week. With the warning that the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to the Americas has been delayed, Carissa Etiënne, director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), urged countries to adopt a ‘comprehensive strategy’ that involves not only vaccination but also public health measures to curb the rising pandemic.
“I cannot stress this enough; For most countries, vaccines will not stop this wave of the pandemic, ”Etienne said during her weekly media briefing. “There is simply not enough available to protect everyone in the countries at greatest risk. That is why we must stop the transmission in every possible way with the tools we do have available. This requires comprehensive strategies to both accelerate vaccine availability and control the virus using proven public health measures, ”she added. She referred to wearing masks, social distancing and hand hygiene.
More than 3 million doses delivered
Since March, PAHO’s Revolving Fund has helped deliver more than 3 million doses of COVAX-derived vaccines to 28 countries. The Revolving Fund negotiates, purchases and arranges logistics for shipping vaccines to the 36 countries participating in COVAX. To date, more than 247 million COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the Americas, including through agreements that countries have individually signed with vaccine manufacturers.
“But in recent weeks, restrictions on COVAX vaccine manufacturers have slowed deliveries and deliveries are not expected to normalize in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we cannot count on the vaccines to control transmission, ”said the PAHO director.
“PAHO is committed to working with member states to obtain more vaccine doses for our region as they become available, in addition to what countries have already purchased through bilateral deals and through the COVAX facility,” she said. “We will be with countries every step of the way and provide technical support to resolve barriers, increase surveillance, and monitor the safety and impact of COVID vaccines.”
Persistent pandemic wave
Since the pandemic began, 57 million cases have been reported in the Americas, with more than 1.3 million deaths, she said. “We are not acting like a region in the midst of an worsening outbreak,” warned. Etienne. “Despite the ongoing handover in many places, restrictions have been relaxed. The crowds are back, people meet in closed spaces and take public transport, often without masks, ”said the PAHO director. She said new highly transferable variants also provide acceleration.
Etienne described South America as the ongoing “epicenter” and reported that the number of new COVID-19 cases is on the rise in Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru and some parts of Bolivia. Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and Chile are experiencing a continuous increase in the number of infections. New variants in the Guyanas have led to an increase in the number of cases in French Guiana and Guyana.
New infections are on the rise in Cuba, Puerto Rico and smaller Caribbean islands such as Curaçao, Bermuda and Aruba. The number of cases also continues to increase in Canada.
Safe, Effective COVID-19 Vaccines
The PAHO director provided reassurance about the safety of the four World Health Organization (WHO) approved vaccines: the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine, two versions of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine and the Janssen vaccine. All have proven to be safe and effective. Rare reports of blood clots are being studied by regulatory agencies, which are expected to make recommendations soon, she said.
“In the meantime, it is important to continue to administer AstraZeneca vaccines where they are available,” said Etienne. “Nearly 200 million people around the world have received the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and the reports of side effects are very rare. These vaccines can save your life and that of your friends and family. ”
Etienne also spoke about the eruption of La Soufriere volcano in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and reported that PAHO has deployed five public health experts to respond to the emergency in conjunction with the Ministry of Health. PAHO / WHO has also shipped 150,000 medical masks, other personal protective equipment (PPEs), medical supplies and test kits to the islands.
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