PAHO: Millions of people in the Americas without being vaccinated

Washington, Jul 8 (Prensa Latina) Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Carissa F. Etienne on Wednesday called for increased supplies of Covid-19 vaccines for the Americas, noting that ¨Millions of people in Latin America and the Caribbean still don´t know when they will have a chance to be immunized,¨

July 8, 2021
07:04

Over 600 million Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the Americas; However, several countries have not been able to reach even the most vulnerable, explained Dr. Etienne.

She pointed out that over half of those 600 million doses have been applied in just one country, the United States.

Likewise, according to PAHO data, Chile and Uruguay have around 50% of their population fully immunized and Canada has covered over 30%.

Meanwhile, some countries in South and Central America, where the pandemic has hit particularly hard, have not yet been able to access enough vaccines to fully vaccinate 3% of their population, Dr. Etienne told reporters at her weekly media briefing. ‘While we must rely on donations in the short-term, we are already planning for a future scenario in which more supply will be available. PAHO is mapping the demand deficit from our Member States to determine how the Revolving Fund can support countries to meet their future goals with COVID vaccines and other supplies, such as syringes and cold chain equipment,’ she added.

‘There are advances in the Americas, but not for all,’ Dr. Etienne regretted.

pgh/Pll/msm / rbp/gdc