PAHO monitoring spread of Omicron in region – Director

The Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) is currently monitoring the spread of the newly-discovered Omicron variant in the region, which has already been detected in several countries across the country.

In her weekly media briefing, PAHO Director, Dr Carissa Etienne indicated that nations should be “extra-vigilant” in the short term since the arrival of a new variant does not mean “things will be worse”.
“PAHO is monitoring the spread of the Omicron variant in our region. Omicron has already been detected in several countries including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico, and the United States, although it’s just a matter of time before the variant circulates in more countries…Research is ongoing to better understand Omicron’s behaviour and the potential risks for our region,” the Director highlighted.
In the meantime, she said authorities must remember that they are already dealing with the Delta variant, which is highly transmissible.
“It’s important that countries continue to leverage the full package of public health measures that have proven effective against this virus, including handwashing, mask-wearing and social distancing. And that people get vaccinated when it’s their turn.”
She outlined that vaccines remain a critical tool to reduce hospitalisations and deaths and to limit the appearance of new variants. So far, 55 per cent of people in Latin America and the Caribbean have been fully vaccinated against COVID.
“While this number is a testament to the efforts of countries in the region that have been working hard to secure and deliver the doses they need to protect their populations, there are still too many people who remain unvaccinated. Twenty countries in our region have yet to reach the WHO’s year-end 40 per cent vaccination coverage target.”
Over the last week, there were over 782,655 new COVID-19 infections and 10,950 COVID-related deaths reported in the Americas.
In North America, cases are increasing in Canada and parts of Mexico, such as Baja California. In the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago continues to experience jumps in COVID cases, hospitalisations, and deaths. Other, smaller islands like the Cayman Islands are also witnessing increases in COVID infections.
Except for Panama, Central America is experiencing a steep decline in COVID infections. In South America, Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia continue to see a steady increase in COVID cases. While Ecuador, Chile and Argentina are reporting a drop in COVID infections.
And while it is expected that some of these remaining countries will get there in the next few weeks, Guatemala and several Caribbean islands – like Haiti, Jamaica, and St Vincent and the Grenadines – remain far behind.
Dr Etienne added, “At the current pace, as many as six countries may not meet the 40 per cent year-end target…PAHO is doing everything that it can to accelerate vaccinations in our region. This week, more than 1.6 million doses are being delivered to countries in our region, completing a total of 72 million doses so far, and we expect more doses to arrive in the coming days. In the short term, we are racing to get people protected from this virus. But COVID will require a long-term strategy, especially as we learn more about the duration of protection, the impact of the vaccine on different age groups, and the behaviour of new variants.”
The PAHO Revolving Fund is a mechanism with a 40-year legacy that purchases all routine vaccines for 42 countries and territories in the Americas, including COVID vaccines. This year, the Revolving Fund has already purchased for our Region more than $1 billion dollars’ worth of all routine vaccines, including COVID-19, and we expect to buy even more as countries place their orders.
PAHO has been working with countries to organise immunisation campaigns to reach populations in rural, remote, and harder-to-reach areas, such as in border communities where a clinic or doctor may be many kilometres or even days away. Countries are also working to reach those without easy access to transportation to health services in urban areas.
Vulnerable groups like our Indigenous peoples, the elderly and those with existing conditions that leave them at higher risk of severe COVID should be first in line for COVID vaccines.
“As we near the end of the year and countries are deploying more doses to reach the WHO’s year-end targets, we continue to make a call for equity and preparedness. We need a reliable supply of doses so that our COVID vaccination campaigns do not widen the inequities that have long divided our region. And countries must prioritise and accelerate vaccine rollout because we just cannot afford to leave anyone behind.”