PAHO: Omicron infections are slowing down where the COVID-19 variant hit before

Infections and deaths from COVID-19 in the Americas continue to rise, but the increase in infections appears to be slowing in places first affected by the omicron variant, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) announced.

Four million of the seven million new cases reported last week were in North America. Meanwhile, Chile and Brazil registered record numbers of daily cases, while deaths have more than doubled in Cuba and the Bahamas, added PAHO.

PAHO said that 63% of people in Latin America and the Caribbean are now fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, and the region has one of the highest vaccination coverage in the world.

But it remains the most unequal region in the world, with disparate coverage: while 14 countries have fully immunized 70% of their population, the same number of nations have yet to protect 40% of their population, the PAHO.

More than 54% of people in low- and middle-income countries in the region have not yet received a single dose against COVID-19, said the director of the PAHOCarissa Étienne.

There are also some worrying gaps. For example, in the United States and Anguilla, vaccination coverage among the elderly is lower than among younger groups who are at lower risk of severe illness from covidhe added.

Furthermore, there are serious blind spots due to the lack of detailed vaccination data in some countries.

Without those numbers, authorities won’t know what proportion of high-risk groups, such as the elderly, pregnant women or health workers, have been protected, he said. Etienne.