Thread by @pahowho

🚨 PAHO Press Briefing on #COVID19 🦠 in the Americas 🌎 August 18, 2021 🔊 twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

Over the last week, 1.4 million COVID-19 cases 🦠 and nearly 20,000 deaths were reported in our region 🌎

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

COVID infections 🦠 are accelerating across North America, where routine surveillance has confirmed that the ✳️ Delta variant has become the dominant strain based on the variant of concern sequences reported over the past month.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

The U.S. 🇺🇸 has seen cases increase by more than a third and Canada 🇨🇦 by more than half.

In Mexico 🇲🇽, more than two-thirds of states have been deemed at “high” or “critical” risk as hospitals 🏥 fill with COVID 🦠 patients.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

COVID cases 🦠 and deaths are also on the rise in Central America, particularly in Costa Rica and Belize.

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Meanwhile, most countries in South America are seeing a drop ⬇️ in new cases.

Across Brazil 🇧🇷, hospital occupancy is lower than 80% across all states for the first time since November, but transmission remains very active, so now is not the time for complacency.

@DirOPSPAHO

COVID infections 🦠 and deaths are rapidly rising across the Caribbean.

Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and Cuba continue an increasing trend 📈 in both cases and deaths, while in Trinidad and Tobago, weekly deaths continued to rise.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

In Jamaica, cases rose ⬆️ by 49% and deaths increased by 70%.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

The situation in Haiti 🇭🇹 is especially acute following this weekend’s devastating earthquake.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19 #haitiearthquake

PAHO and the international community have activated teams in Haiti 🇭🇹 to support all aspects of the health response, and we are fully committed to helping Haiti during this very challenging time.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19 #HaitiEarthquake

Among the earthquake’s thousands of victims was Dr. Ousmane Touré, a dedicated epidemiologist supporting our response in Haiti 🇭🇹.

Our thoughts and condolences go out to his family and loved ones.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19 #HaitiEarthquake

Dr. Touré’s loss is emblematic of the dangers health workers 👨🏽‍⚕️👩🏿‍⚕️ face and the extraordinary sacrifices they have made during this pandemic.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19 #HaitiEarthquake

Unfortunately, tropical storms ⛈ and heavy rains have added new challenges to Haiti’s frontline health workers, complicating ongoing search and rescue efforts and delivery of supplies 📦

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19 #HaitiEarthquake

The situation in Haiti 🇭🇹 – and indeed across the region – underscores just how critical it is to bring this pandemic 🦠 under control in the Americas 🌎

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Yet across Latin America and the Caribbean 🌎, just one in five people have been fully vaccinated 💉 against COVID-19, and in some countries, fewer than 5% of people have been fully vaccinated.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

While PAHO is working actively to change this disparity, it will take months until our region 🌎 has access to the vaccines 💉 it so desperately needs.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

In the meantime, we 👉 must address the many consequences of this lasting crisis.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

I want to take today’s session to acknowledge just how difficult COVID-19 has been for our #mentalhealth and wellbeing.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Throughout the pandemic 🦠, stress and fear have invaded our everyday lives, and an unprecedented number of people have lost their jobs and are struggling to support their families 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

More than 16 months since the virus 🦠 arrived in our region 🌎, we have started to generate data that show the true breadth of COVID’s impact on #mentalhealth in the Americas.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

The results are grim – demand for #mentalhealth and psychosocial support has never been higher ⬆️, yet these services have never been more out of reach.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Three-fourths of participating countries 🌎 report partial or complete disruptions in #mentalhealth services during the pandemic 🦠

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

More than half of school-based #mentalhealth programs and more than three-fourths of out-of-school programs have been partially or entirely disrupted at a time when more than 15% of young people 👧🏽👶🏽🧒🏻 are experiencing depression.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

And nearly 90% of participating countries 🌎 report that mental health counseling and psychotherapy services have been disrupted, 👉 yet today up to 60% of people in our region are suffering from anxiety or depression.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Today we are facing a #mentalhealth crisis that, if left unaddressed, will have severe consequences.

It will not only worsen the mental health burden in our region 🌎, but also prolong the pandemic’s 🦠 impact.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

While many countries 🌎 have deemed #mentalhealth a priority and have integrated mental health support within their COVID-19 response 🦠 plans, few have backed these promises with funding 💰 or put these plans into action.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

That is why we urge countries 🌎 to follow through on their promises by investing in #mentalhealth programs.

A few countries are already doing this well and offer a model for our region to follow.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Chile 🇨🇱 has launched a #mentalhealth campaign with support from its president to strengthen psychosocial services during the pandemic.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Including by expanding the #mentalhealth workforce, offering mental health support to health workers 👩🏿‍⚕️👨🏽‍⚕️, and building up community-level care to reach more people closer to home 🏠

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

In a recent survey of health workers 👨🏻‍⚕️👩🏿‍⚕️ in 30 countries, 35% of them said they needed psychological help, but ➡️ only one-third of them had received it.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Trinidad and Tobago has also reorganized #mentalhealth services to bring them directly into communities.

It has launched helplines ☎️, telehealth services, and online directories to ensure people can always access the mental health support they need.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Costa Rica is also conducting multiple studies to better understand the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic 🦠, to better inform their response, and to serve as a reference for other countries in the region 🌎

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

#Mentalhealth services are foundational to our COVID-19 🦠 response and ultimately to our recovery and rebuilding process.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Countries 🌎 must invest in #mentalhealth now to weather the ongoing threat of the pandemic 🦠 and limit its ripple effects for years to come.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

This pandemic 🦠 is a reminder that good #mentalhealth is a lynchpin for our region’s 🌎 health and the wellbeing of our societies.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19