PAHO is about “saving lives and improving health and well-being.”

Dear Editor,
On Tuesday, October 12, 2021, the Ministry of Health and Wellness received a donation of 108,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines from the Government of Germany through the COVAX facility.
Guyana and Jamaica are among four Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) member countries slated to benefit from 1.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines recently donated by the United States, Canada, Germany and Spain.
These undertakings form part of PAHO’s efforts to assist regional countries to meet the WHO’s 40 percent global vaccination target for countries by year-end. the Americas have, to date, immunised 40 percent or more of their population against COVID-19. Additionally, 39 percent of populations within Latin America and the Caribbean are fully vaccinated. Despite this, coverage is much lower “in far too many [other] places.” countries like Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Haiti in the Caribbean, and Guatemala and Nicaragua in Central America have yet to vaccinate 20 percent of their populations.
Factors contributing to this include vaccine shortage due to unequal distribution, supply delays, shortage of syringes, and logistical challenges; not forgetting “vaccine hesitancy remains a problem”.
As was said before, vaccines will help end this pandemic, and PAHO is committed to supporting every country in our region to reach and exceed WHO targets. PAHO is working to accelerate vaccine deliveries in our region – including COVAX-procured and donated doses – especially for countries where coverage remains low. It is a very good gesture by several regional countries, sharing doses “so they can make the most of the available supplies”.
As more vaccine doses are making their way to our region, countries must be urged to make the necessary preparations so these doses can be used as quickly as possible, and have their citizens vaccinated.
Since well before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, PAHO technical cooperation was building its member countries’ capacities to prepare for, and respond to, disease outbreaks and epidemics. Since the pandemic arrived in Guyana, PAHO has continued that effort while providing regional leadership and coordination of the COVID-19 response, and helping member countries protect gains in other vital areas, including immunisation, prevention of noncommunicable diseases, and expanded access to quality health care.
PAHO is about “saving lives and improving health and well-being.” COVID-19 has affected health, the economy, and the way of life in almost every country in North America, South America and Latin American. The pandemic exposed severe inequities in and among countries, and highlighted the particular vulnerabilities of every population group. It also “laid bare profound structural weaknesses within health and social protection mechanisms in our country and the region, highlighting the need for substantial reform and actions to ensure that countries continue toward the achievement of the ambitious goal of universal health by 2030.

Sincerely,
David Adams