Thread by @pahowho

🚨🔊#PAHO Press Briefing on #COVID19🦠in the Americas🌎 July 21, 2021🎙💻
twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

Over the last week, our region 🌎 reported over 967,000 new cases 🦠 and 22,000 deaths, a slight decrease from the previous week.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

More and more, disease trends are showing a region divided by vaccine 💉 access.

In countries 🌎 with adequate vaccine supply 📦, infections are decreasing 📉; in places where vaccine coverage is still low, infections remain high📈

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

In Costa Rica, where nearly 1️⃣ in 3️⃣ people are already vaccinated, COVID cases are steadily dropping 📉

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

South American countries with higher rates of vaccinations 💉– like Uruguay 🇺🇾, Chile 🇨🇱, and Argentina 🇦🇷– are reporting steep declines 📉 in cases.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

COVID infections 🦠 are decreasing across Canada 🇨🇦 and most of the U.S. 🇺🇸

The U.S. states that are reporting increases 📈 are the ones with lower vaccination 💉 rates, demonstrating the importance of vaccines to control this virus.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Unfortunately, across Latin America and the Caribbean, only 15 percent of people have been fully vaccinated 💉 against COVID-19, and several countries – like Honduras and Haiti – have yet to reach even one percent.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

And while vaccine donations 📦 are on their way to these countries, vaccine coverage remains dangerously low ⬇️ in many more countries across our region 🌎

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

COVID-19 🦠 cases are accelerating in most Central American countries, with Guatemala reporting high ⬆️ infections and hospitalizations 🏥.

Neighboring Honduras is seeing an increase in COVID cases in states along its border.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

In the Caribbean, COVID cases and deaths 💀 are spiking in Cuba, where many provinces are reporting dramatic increases 📈 in new infections.

The situation is especially acute in the province of Matanzas.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Cuba 🇨🇺 is not the only one: many smaller islands are also reporting an increase in infections 🦠.

Over the last week, Martinique has seen a tripling of cases – mainly among young people 🧑🏿‍🦱👩🏾‍🦱 in their 20s – driven by large gatherings.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Worrisome hotspots also persist in Amazonian states in Colombia and Peru.

These trends illustrate how #COVID19 remains entrenched within our region, particularly in countries with low vaccination 💉 coverage.

And the spread of variants 🦠 only makes matters worse.

@DirOPSPAHO

Viruses 🦠 have one goal ➡️ to multiply 🦠🦠🦠🦠🦠

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

That’s why they often adapt to become less dangerous but more contagious over time ⏳

And that’s what we’re seeing with the SARS-CoV-2 virus 🦠 that causes #COVID19.

@DirOPSPAHO

Many of today’s “variants of concern” 🦠 spread more easily, so they’re driving new infections in our region and around the world 🌎

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

So far, 47 countries and territories in our region 🌎 have detected at least one “variant of concern” 🦠 and 11 have detected all four of today’s most concerning variants: alpha, beta, gamma, and delta.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

New variants 🦠 will emerge as long as the SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to spread.

We face a pandemic of the unvaccinated, and the only way to stop it is to expand vaccination 💉

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Vaccines 💉 are critical, even if no vaccine is 100% effective.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Just as important are public health measures – like physical distancing 🧍🏽⬅️ ➡️🧍🏻‍♂️, mask-wearing 😷, avoiding crowds – and infection control measures like testing, contact tracing, and quarantining.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️
Together, these measures are the fundamentals of our response and they remain effective against variants of concern 🦠

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Thanks to the efforts of countries across the Americas 🌎, our region has built a robust and innovative surveillance network that enables us to keep a close eye 👁 on the emergence and spread of COVID-19 variants🦠

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

The COVID-19 Genomic Surveillance Regional Network was launched in the early days of the pandemic to tackle the eventual arrival of variants 🦠

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

paho.org/en/topics/infl…

Together, and using science 🧪 as a common language, countries committed to bolster their laboratory capacity, hire staff 👨🏽‍🔬, & make surveillance a priority, building on the legacy of our region’s longstanding dengue and influenza surveillance & laboratory networks🔬

@DirOPSPAHO

What started as a handful of labs 🔬 in 2020 has expanded into a robust network of 24 labs – and growing – that runs samples from all over the Americas 🌎 and actively provides information.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19
infogram.com/cogen-surveill…

PAHO has been supporting the network by standardizing laboratory 🔬 protocols, conducting trainings, and donating supplies 📦 for countries that have the technology to test and run samples 🧬

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

In places that haven’t yet built up their lab capacity 👩🏾‍🔬👨🏽‍🔬, PAHO has been working to collect samples 🧬 and ship these off to network labs 🔬

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

The network has been instrumental in monitoring the virus’s spread 🦠 within border regions and among travelers, who are often the first to introduce variants into a country.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

By working together 🤝, countries can detect new variants 🦠 faster and more cost-effectively than by working alone.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Along with epidemiological data 🦠, speed is essential so we can detect changes in the clinical presentation of the disease or transmission patterns, and quickly adjust measures such as vaccination 💉, therapeutics, and diagnosis.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Countries can also activate contact tracing and other public health measures 😷 to limit variants’ circulation.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

The information gathered by the network is also proving useful for scientists 👨🏽‍🔬 👩🏾‍🔬 and epidemiologists around the world as they learn how the virus 🦠 is changing to ensure that our responses remain effective.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

While the network is focused on #COVID19 surveillance, this platform can just as easily be adapted to identify other 🦠 & emerging pathogens...

@DirOPSPAHO

... so long as our region 🌎 continues to invest in the training, materials & human resources that it takes for a network like this to function well.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

The COVID-19 Genomic Surveillance Regional Network is an example of the power of Pan-Americanism and the importance of working together to control this virus.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

paho.org/en/topics/infl…

We must bring the same spirit of collaboration and solidarity to other dimensions of our COVID-19 response, especially vaccines 💉

Our countries stand ready to administer doses as soon as they arrive 📦

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

PAHO continues to support Member States in their responses, and we remain committed to helping them vaccinate 💉 their eligible populations 👩🏾‍🦱👩🏻🧔🏾🧓🏽 promptly and safely, regardless of who they are and where they live.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

We urge donors and international agencies around the world to help our region secure the vaccines 💉 it needs to save lives and bring this virus 🦠 under control as soon as possible.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Until then, we must continue to protect ourselves and others by using the proven public health measures 😷 that can keep us safe from the virus and all its variants 🦠

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19