Caribbean remains “vulnerable” as vaccination rate pegged at 50% – PAHO Director

Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr Carissa F Etienne, has warned that the Caribbean and Latin American region remains ‘especially vulnerable’, given that only 50 per cent of the people are vaccinated against COVID-19.

While experts work to better understand the new WHO-designated Variant of Concern, Omicron, she called for increased vaccination and public health measures to ensure the best possible protection against the virus.
Urging against panic, the PAHO Director said in the media briefing that there are still many unknowns, and studies will take some time to complete. In the Americas, which reported 753,000 new COVID infections and over 13,000 deaths over the past week, Omicron has so far been detected in Canada and Brazil.
“It is not clear whether Omicron is more transmissible than other variants, or if it causes more severe disease… but it is likely that other countries will begin seeing this new variant in circulation soon,” Dr Etienne established.
While PAHO continues to track all variants in the region, Delta, for now, remains the predominant variant in the Americas.
Calling on Governments to sustain public health measures such as mask-wearing, and to redouble their surveillance efforts, Dr Etienne added, “The more COVID-19 circulates, the more opportunities the virus has to mutate and change. Vaccine inequity is prolonging the COVID crisis, and this is exactly what we’re seeing with the arrival of Omicron.”
Over the past week, COVID-19 cases have remained steady but high in the US and Canada, and have dropped in Mexico. Reductions have also been seen in most countries in Central America.
Meanwhile, cases have increased steadily in Southern Cone countries, and have accelerated in the Caribbean, the Cayman Islands, and in Anguilla.
Dr Etienne has said the coronavirus is not the only pandemic at hand. Prior to the pandemic, just 65 per cent of people living with HIV in the region were receiving ARV therapy, and as the pandemic progressed, interruptions increased four-fold, leaving millions at risk.
She has said there are effective drugs that control the HIV disease and interrupt transmission, but consistent and equitable access is essential. She has noted that 2.4 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean live with HIV.
“We must work together to finish the job. Everyone in our region has access to the services and tools they need to live healthy and productive lives,” she said.