COVID-19 vaccines effective for variants – PAHO Director

…gap to access vaccines is “unacceptable”

Director of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), Dr Carissa F Etienne has provided reassurance about the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, amid the circulation of new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the Americas.
At a press briefing, Dr Etienne said while this is the case, variants increase the need for access to vaccines in Latin America and the Caribbean.
“So far, PAHO has found that the impact of variants of concern on the effectiveness of vaccines for COVID-19 has been minimal. Very few places are benefiting from the full potential of vaccines as there is a huge access gap in our region…This is unacceptable, and the emergence of variants makes it even more urgent that we accelerate supply to the places with the highest transmission,” the Director expressed.

The Organisation has been tracking COVID-19 virus variants since June 2020, when it created the Genomic Surveillance Regional Network. The network has shared more than 52,000 viral sequences from Latin America and the Caribbean and continues to monitor variants of concern in 43 countries and territories that have detected the Alpha variant.
The Gamma variant has been reported in 29 countries while the Beta strain has been detected in 18 countries. The newest variant of concern, Delta, has been reported in 14 countries, including Argentina, Aruba, Brazil, Canada, Chile, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mexico, Puerto Rico, USA, Barbados, Peru and Sint Maarten.
Turning to the continuing increase in cases in Latin American and Caribbean countries, Dr Etienne said that countries in the Americas last week alone reported 1.1 million new COVID-19 infections and 30,000 deaths, bringing the total case count to more than 72 million and deaths to nearly 1.9 million.
“Disruptions to essential health services are still widespread across the region, with 29 countries reporting disruptions to almost half of all services…Despite this worrisome picture, just one in ten people in Latin America and the Caribbean have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The public health impact of vaccination is undeniable – and we are seeing it in places with high coverage. As more people get vaccinated, fewer fall severely ill. Eventually this will have an impact on transmission, keeping us all safe.”
She also addressed the fresh challenges presented by new seasons for the region, adding that it might not be ideal to travel, especially in places with active outbreaks and countries with limited hospital capacity.
Countries were urged to use effective alert systems and consider outfitting hospitals and expanding shelters to reduce the potential for transmission, including among family members, since social distancing and proper ventilation will become difficult in the context of a storm.
For those in the Southern Hemisphere where influenza season has started, it was pointed out that countries should bolster surveillance systems to monitor the spread of respiratory viruses, including COVID-19, and focus on the proven public health measures such as washing hands and wearing masks. ks.