Thread by @pahowho

📺 We are LIVE!

🚨🔊 PAHO Press Briefing on #COVID19 🦠 in the Americas 🌎

👉 July 7, 2021 twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

Before we start our briefing today, I must acknowledge the event that unfolded this morning in #Haiti leading to the untimely death of President Moise Jovenel.

@DirOPSPAHO

PAHO wishes to extend its condolences to his family. We also want to express solidarity with the Haitian people in these uncertain times and reiterate our commitment to advance the country’s health 🩺 and development.

@DirOPSPAHO

Our organization has a long history of working in #Haiti 🇭🇹, hand-in-hand with local authorities, health professionals, and communities through our local office in Port-au-Prince. We continue to stand with them now and will redouble our efforts.

@DirOPSPAHO

One of PAHO’s top priorities over the past few weeks has been to support #Haiti to start vaccinations 💉 and control the transmission of COVID-19 🦠. We will continue working toward this goal with global and local partners.

@DirOPSPAHO

I am hopeful that the imminent arrival of vaccines 💉 in the country can start to turn the tide of the pandemic 🦠 and bring some relief to the Haitian people during these very difficult times.

@DirOPSPAHO

This past week, we’ve had 1.1 million new cases in the Americas, a small decline 📉 in relation to the previous week.

And while mortality has also been reduced ⬇️ in this period, our Region is still reporting over half of the deaths 💀 registered globally.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

This is a clear sign that the toll of the pandemic in the Americas 🌎 continues to devastate families 👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 and communities, even as parts of our Region are experiencing some relief.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

In North America, while the overall trends are declining 📉, there are areas in which transmission is still rising, such as Baja California del Sur in Mexico and Yukon Province in Canada.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

In Central America, there is a rise 📈 in overall cases in Belize 🇧🇿, El Salvador 🇸🇻, Honduras 🇭🇳, and Panama 🇵🇦, as well as in some areas of Guatemala 🇬🇹.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

In South America, Brazil, Colombia, and Ecuador continue to report a high number of new cases 🦠. While incidence has been reduced in Peru and Bolivia. It’s been encouraging to see all four countries of the Southern Cone registering less cases over the past 2️⃣ weeks.

@DirOPSPAHO

In the Caribbean, Cuba is reporting the highest number of new cases 🦠 per week since the beginning of the pandemic, and Trinidad and Tobago is facing increased mortality due to COVID.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

We continue to be concerned about Haiti 🇭🇹. Based on the data reported there has been a slight decline in new cases, but the situation is still very difficult, with episodes of violence challenging the response to the pandemic 🦠

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

The diversity and inequity of our Region continues to be reflected not only in the trends of the pandemic 🦠, but also on how countries 🌎 are able to access vaccines 💉

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

There is progress in vaccinations 💉 in the Americas 🌎, but not for all.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

One in four people in our Region 🌎 have been fully immunized and over 600 million doses 💉 have been administered in the Americas. However, over half of these doses have been applied in just one country, the United States.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

We must celebrate that a nation that has been so heavily impacted by the pandemic 🦠 was able to turn the tide, but we can’t close our eyes to the stark inequities on vaccine 💉 access.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Several other countries have done a remarkable job in vaccinating 💉 their people, Chile 🇨🇱 and Uruguay 🇺🇾 have around 50% of their population fully immunized and Canada 🇨🇦 has covered over 30%.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

But for every success, there are several countries that have been unable to reach even the most vulnerable.

Millions of people 🧓🏿👵🏻👩🏿‍🦱👨🏻‍🦱👩🏽 in Latin America and the Caribbean 🌎 still don’t know when they will have a chance to be immunized 💉

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Haiti has yet to start vaccinations 💉. Jamaica is also struggling to access enough vaccines to cover their high-priority groups.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

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 populations.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

The 24 million doses 💉 of COVAX deployed in the Region so far have been quickly put to use, and countries are eager for the additional allocations to ship 📦 as soon as supplies are available.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Our countries 🌎 know how to deploy vaccines and are ready. But they need more doses 💉, and they need them now.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

That’s why PAHO has urged nations with enough vaccines 💉 to share them with countries in the Americas that are still struggling. That call is starting to resonate.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

This week, El Salvador 🇸🇻 welcomed 1.5 million new vaccine 💉 doses from the U.S. government through the COVAX facility as part of the pledge to share at least 20 million doses to our Region 🌎

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Others are receiving additional donations of doses bilaterally. Bolivia is due to receive just over 1 million doses 💉 this week, and other donations are being prepared.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

PAHO is leading the logistics for the delivery of the COVAX doses. And we’ve been working with the U.S. government, the COVAX Facility, and recipient countries to make sure all requirements are met, and vaccines can quickly and safely arrive 📦 at their destinations.

@DirOPSPAHO

We applaud Mexico’s 🇲🇽 donations to several countries in Central America and Jamaica. Regional solidarity will help pave our way out of this pandemic 🦠

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

In fact, dose donations are helping COVAX substantially expand the availability of 💉 in the next round, with some 60 million doses coming from the United States and over 11 million from Japan, contributing to the expected allocation of some 143 million doses
@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

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.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

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.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Our job won’t be done until we have reached every eligible person 👩🏿‍🦱👵🏻🧓🏿👩🏽, in every country, regardless of where they live, their ethnicity or income 💰

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

We must be guided by evidence and equity as we deploy these vaccines, so let me remind you of a few things ⬇️

🔸 It’s not yet time to roll out boosters when millions have yet to receive one dose 💉

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

🔸 We should ensure those at greater risk, like health professionals 👨🏿‍⚕️👩🏻‍⚕️ and the elderly 🧓🏾👵🏿 are protected

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

🔸 Vulnerable populations, such as migrants and indigenous groups, should be prioritized

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

#COVID19 🦠 has taught us that when some are left behind, all of us are at greater ⬆️ risk.

@DirOPSPAHO

The vaccines 💉 we have at hand work remarkably well and will help us overcome the pandemic 🦠. But only if we take this opportunity to address the challenges that have long held us back, especially the pervasive inequality in access to health 🩺

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Fair and broad vaccine 💉 access must be the first step in this process.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19