With omicron variant detected in six countries in the region and many countries yet to reach 40% vaccination target, PAHO’s Revolving Fund will be key to ensure vaccines for all
WASHINGTON, DC — With 20 countries yet to reach the World Health Organization’s (WHO) year-end vaccination target of 40 percent, and the omicron variant now detected in six countries in the region, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Carissa F Etienne said accelerating access to vaccines will be key to protecting populations, particularly the most vulnerable.
“The arrival of a new variant doesn’t necessarily mean that things will be worse, but it does mean that we must be extra-vigilant,” she said in a media briefing yesterday, urging for continued vaccination and public health measures.
Over 782,655 new COVID infections and 10,950 deaths were reported in the Americas last week, yet just 55 percent of people in Latin America and the Caribbean have been fully vaccinated. In some countries, including Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica and St Vincent and the Grenadines, coverage remains much lower.
While the region is “racing to get people protected from this virus”, the PAHO director called for a long-term strategy that takes into account the duration of protection of the vaccines, their impact on different age groups and the behavior of new variants.
With 1.6 million doses of COVID vaccine arriving in the region this week and more expected to follow, it is crucial that “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”, Etienne said.
However, in countries with high overall coverage, rates of vaccination among people over the age of 60 remains lower; and in countries where vaccination is further behind, healthy people are also being protected first.
“This lack of prioritization is perilous because it keeps our elderly vulnerable and our health systems at risk,” the director added.
Etienne also highlighted the importance of ensuring long-term, sustainable access to vaccines, emphasizing the crucial role of PAHO’s Revolving Fund — a vaccine-purchasing mechanism that has already secured more than US$1 billion in routine vaccines for the region this year.
“By using our Revolving Fund, countries are guaranteed access to quality-assured vaccines at fair prices through a transparent mechanism,” the director said.
As the year draws to a close and countries deploy doses to reach the WHO’s year-end targets, the director called 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,” she said.
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