Etienne: PAHO working to increase vaccine supplies
WASHINGTON, DC — Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Carissa F Etienne warned that 75 percent of the population in Latin America and the Caribbean has yet to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and reported that PAHO is accelerating its drive to expand vaccine access throughout the region.
“Three-fourths of people in Latin America and the Caribbean have not been fully immunized,” Etienne said during her weekly media briefing.
“More than a third of countries in our region have yet to vaccinate 20 percent of their populations and in some places, coverage is much lower.
“Vaccination rates remain in the teens in several Caribbean and South American countries and coverage is still in the single digits in Central American nations like Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.”
She added: “Unfortunately, countries with high coverage are the exception in our region.”
Etienne said that while vaccination rates are low in Latin America and the Caribbean, many countries are experiencing a rapid rise in COVID-19 infections.
The Ministry of Health reported two more COVID-related deaths, nine more deaths under investigation and 125 new cases yesterday.
Up to August 31, The Bahamas had 18,460 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 3,167 still active. There were 408 COVID-related deaths, 96 non-COVID-related deaths and 29 deaths under investigation.
As of August 28, 91,967 people in The Bahamas had received at least one vaccine dose, while 57,593 were fully vaccinated, including Bahamians and residents who have indicated to the Ministry of Health that they were vaccinated abroad.
The PAHO director said that in total, 540 million COVID-19 vaccine doses must be delivered to ensure that all countries in Latin America and the Caribbean can cover at least 60 percent of their populations.
“So, we must expand vaccine access in our region, especially in the places that are lagging,” she said.
In response to the shortage, PAHO has launched a fresh drive for donations.
“We are working to draw the attention of developed countries to the urgent need to donate vaccines to Latin America and the Caribbean,” Etienne said.
In addition, PAHO is using its Revolving Fund to procure vaccines for member states. PAHO has already received requests from 24 countries for COVID-19 vaccines, which will be available in the final quarter of this year and in 2022.
“We are also thinking ahead and making plans to significantly improve regional vaccine manufacturing capacity,” Etienne said. “Just last week, we launched a new platform that convenes partners around a shared vision of boosting state-of-the-art vaccine production in Latin America and the Caribbean.”
The first initiative under the platform is to facilitate the transfer to the region of the mRNA vaccine technology used in highly effective COVID-19 vaccines. PAHO has received 32 proposals from private and public companies that want to participate in the endeavor.
Etienne urged countries to prioritize the most vulnerable for vaccination, such as the elderly, health workers and those living with pre-existing conditions. Countries should make sure that logistics systems can absorb vaccine doses and cold chains can keep them cool and that health systems are ready to deliver doses fast once they arrive, she said.
