Thread by @pahowho

We are LIVE 🔴!

🚨 PAHO Press Briefing on #COVID19 🦠 in the Americas 🌎 August 11, 2021 🔊 twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

Over the past week, more than 1.3 million COVID-19 cases 🦠 and more than 19,000 COVID-related deaths were reported in the Americas 🌎

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Cases and deaths continue to rise in Canada 🇨🇦, Mexico 🇲🇽, and the United States 🇺🇸, as adherence to public health measures relaxes, the Delta variant 🦠 circulates, and vaccination 💉 coverage varies within countries.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

In Central America, cases are falling 📉 in Panama and Costa Rica but rising 📈 in Honduras, Belize, and El Salvador.

Deaths are rising ☝️ in nearly every country in Central America, including a 30% increase reported in El Salvador.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

In the Caribbean, we are witnessing a similar story in the more populous islands 🏝

Cases are rising 📈 in Cuba, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico, as well as in Martinique and the Bahamas.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Over the past month, infections increased 30-fold in Martinique and there has been a significant spike in hospitalizations 🏥

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

The trends are more promising in South America.

There has been an overall decline ⬇️ in cases and deaths in the Andean Region and Brazil, and across the Southern Cone.

This includes substantial drops in cases in Colombia, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Although cases 🦠 are surging in some areas, there is clear evidence that wherever vaccines 💉 are available, they limit severe illness 🤒 and save lives.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

That is why increasing access to vaccines 💉 remains our top priority ➡️ not for some countries, but for all countries 🌎

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

More than 6️⃣ months after the first doses arrived 📦 in our region, the disparity in who can access vaccines 💉 and who cannot is unacceptable.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Fewer than 20% of people 👩🏾‍🦱👩🏼‍🦳🧑🏿‍🦲🧔🏻 in Latin America and the Caribbean have been fully immunized, and in some countries 🌎 that number is less than 5%.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

This disparity is also dangerous ⚠️

There is no path to recovery for any country 🌎 while its neighbors remain vulnerable, and variants 🦠 circulate and multiply.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

We must banish the idea that vaccine 💉 inequity is the problem of some countries and not others, and instead work together 🤝 to find solutions for all countries.

And we must do it quickly – because lives hang in the balance.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Countries in the Americas 🌎 have access to the PAHO Revolving Fund, which is an integral part of our technical cooperation package consolidating country 💉 demand from 41 Member States and territories...

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19
paho.org/en/revolvingfu…

... to leverage more affordable pricing 💰 and ensure the availability of high-quality vaccines to reach every corner of our region.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

For decades, the Revolving Fund has been a catalyst of equity and solidarity and has been responsible for protecting generations of children 👧🏿👶🏽🧒🏻👦🏽 across Latin America and the Caribbean from vaccine-preventable diseases 🦠

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Thanks to these systems and expertise, we are uniquely positioned to deliver COVID-19 vaccines 💉 quickly, safely, and equitably.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Throughout the first 6️⃣ months of this year, most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean 🌎 have been unable to access enough vaccines 💉

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Some countries managed to strike bilateral deals with vaccine 💉 makers and have made important progress immunizing their populations 🧔🏻👩🏾‍🦱👩🏻‍🦰

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Others are beginning to benefit from donations 📦 from countries with additional doses. These donations are more than a display of solidarity – for some countries, they are the only hope of saving lives, and we need more of them.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

PAHO’s Revolving Fund has been working in 3️⃣ key 🔑 areas to increase access to COVID-19 vaccines 💉

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

The Fund:

1️⃣- Is purchasing and delivering 💉 on behalf of the COVAX facility

2️⃣- Has been delivering 💉 donated through COVAX and supporting bilateral donations

3️⃣- Has been providing complimentary access to 💉 to achieve high coverage to control the 🦠

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

All of these are efforts are focused on diversifying opportunities for countries 🌎 to access the doses they need in the fastest and most effective way possible.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

But the region is still short of the doses 💉 needed to turn the tide of the pandemic. We need a significant influx of vaccines and a more equitable process for distributing them.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

I am pleased to announce that PAHO is offering our Member States a new opportunity to access COVID-19 vaccines 💉

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

The Revolving Fund is now receiving requests from countries 🌎 in the region for #COVID19 💉 for the last three months of 2021 and for the calendar year 2022.

So far, more than 20 countries have formally expressed interest and the number is growing by the day.

@DirOPSPAHO

Here’s why this is so important:

The Revolving Fund is a mechanism for providing high-quality 💉 at competitive prices countries can afford.

It also provides support with planning, cold chain development, syringes, and other supplies 📦

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

This new initiative will make available tens of millions of COVID-19 💉 doses beyond the 20 percent COVAX offers, and it will complement bilateral deals and other existing avenues for countries 🌎 to access vaccines.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

It’s an initiative that will benefit every country in the region 🌎, but especially those that lack the resources and negotiating power to secure the doses necessary to protect their people 🧔🏻🧑🏿‍🦲👦🏽👩🏼‍🦳👵🏾👩🏾‍🦱

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

PAHO already monitors 🔍 immunization coverage closely, and we are now rolling out a new system that collects the vaccination 💉 needs of each country faster and more efficiently.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

This will help ensure that better deals can be closed with manufacturers and that available doses 💉 are distributed equitably, based on the latest epidemiology and vaccine coverage.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Our region 🌎 needs to pursue all possible avenues to expedite access and ensure countries reach their vaccination 💉 goals.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

We still need ➡️more donations, and we still need ➡️COVAX to deliver on its original commitment.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

We also need to create new opportunities that meet the diverse needs of our Member States, and that increase the supply of vaccines 💉 to the people and communities at greatest risk 👵🏾🧓🏽👩🏿‍🦱👴🏼🧔🏽👩🏻

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

This has long been the mission of PAHO and its Revolving Fund, and we vow to work tirelessly to achieve a sustainable supply of COVID-19 vaccines 💉 for all our countries.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19