The Head of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) Dr Carissa Etienne has warned that many countries of the Americas are seeing a resurgence of coronavirus infections.
“In the Caribbean, infections are also going up,” Dr. Etienne reported, highlighting that Cuba saw the highest number of weekly cases since the start of the pandemic, and cases have tripled in the British Virgin Islands just weeks after reopening to cruise ships.
She said that COVID-19 cases rise when complacency sets in.
“We are all tired, but after experiencing successive peaks of infections in the same locations, we must break this cycle by embracing public health measures early and consistently.”
Dr. Etienne told PAHO’s weekly virtual press briefing on Wednesday that as of this week, the region reported nearly 74 million cases and 1.9 million deaths from COVID-19.
“And while new cases are down nearly 20% from last week, many countries are seeing a resurgence of infections.”
Cases are increasingin Central Americancountries, including El Salvador and Guatemala, where COVID deaths have also surged. And in Mexico and the United States, infections are rising.
“Meanwhile, South America is reporting a mixed picture. COVID infections, hospitalisations and deaths are dropping across most of the continent, including in Brazil, Peru, Uruguay, and Chile. However, infections are once again mounting in Argentina; and in Colombia, they’re reaching their highest-ever levels, raising concerns about the health system’s ability to cope as 98% of ICU beds are already in use.”
The Director said that when variants of concern circulate, it’s even more important that countries step up surveillance, especially while vaccine coverage remains low.
“Money, more than public health, has determined how quickly countries can secure the tools that they need to combat this virus. As countries that struck deals with vaccine manufacturers pull further ahead, vaccination coverage continues to linger in the single digits for much of our region.”
Moreover, Dr. Etienne warned that the pandemic is creating serious social and economic impacts.
“COVID-19 has not just ravaged our health systems, it has fractured social protection programmes and destabilised our economies,” she said, revealing that a new study from the Economic Commission on Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) reported that more than seven million companies have closed amid the pandemic.
“More than a third of people in our region are living in poverty and one in four worry about where they will get their next meal. Unemployment rates are higher here than any other developing region. The report shows how the pandemic continues to be fuelled by inequality. And unfortunately, our region is the most unequal in the world.
“We urge countries to continue prioritising health and social safety nets as part of their COVID response and as they turn their sights to COVID recovery,” she added. (TL)
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