America has recorded two consecutive months of weekly declines in the number of coronavirus cases, at a time when almost half of the region’s population has received the full vaccination schedule.
This was announced by the deputy director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Jarbas Barbosa, at the weekly press conference of the organization based in Washington DC
“This is the eighth consecutive week with a drop in overall cases in the region,” Barbosa said after reporting that, in the last seven days, the continent suffered 745,000 new cases and more than 18,000 deaths.
Two months ago, America had 1.5 million infections and more than 22,000 deaths a week.
In his statements, the Brazilian doctor explained that cases, deaths and hospitalizations fell in the three North American countries; while cases fell throughout Central America, after the outbreak of recent weeks in Belize has been controlled.
The situation has also improved in South America, with a few exceptions that PAHO “is closely monitoring,” although Barbosa did not give details about it.
“The drop in the number of cases and deaths shows that the current approach is working and that it is essential that all of us keep going until we are all vaccinated and protected against the virus,” stressed the PAHO Deputy Director.
In this sense, he assured that the vast majority of people hospitalized in recent weeks have not been vaccinated.
According to PAHO figures, 46% of the inhabitants of Latin America and the Caribbean have received their complete schedule of the coronavirus vaccine.
However, in countries such as Guatemala, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Jamaica, Nicaragua and Haiti “less than 20% of the people” have been fully immunized.
On the contrary, 32 countries in the region have inoculated more than 40% of the population, the goal set by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the end of the year.
“Vaccine inequality continues to be the most important obstacle in our region,” he said in this regard.
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