Thread by @pahowho

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

Over the last week, the Americas 🌎 have reported over 1.6 million new cases 🦠 and just under 22,000 COVID-19-related deaths.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

COVID infections 🦠 are surging in North America, where hospitalization 🏥 rates among young people 👩🏽🧑🏽👩🏿‍🦱 and adults below the age of 50 are higher today than at any point in the pandemic.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

In the Caribbean, Saint Lucia and Puerto Rico are reporting high rates of new infections 🦠

And Jamaica is seeing its highest-ever COVID deaths as its hospitals 🏥 reach full capacity.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Outbreaks 🦠 are also accelerating in multiple Central American countries, especially Costa Rica 🇨🇷 and Belize 🇧🇿

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

In South America, infections are generally declining 📉, with a few exceptions: in Venezuela cases are plateauing, and in Suriname, transmission 🦠 has increased for four consecutive weeks.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

When you look across regions, the Americas 🌎 remain disproportionally impacted by this pandemic: we are home to 4️⃣ of the top 10 countries with the highest number of cumulative cases, and nearly a third of all COVID deaths have been reported in the Region.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Despite the disproportional impact, three-fourths of people in Latin America and the Caribbean have not been fully immunized 💉

And for many, vaccines remain months away 🗓

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

While every country in our region 🌎 has begun administering COVID-19 vaccines 💉, immunizations are following the fault lines of inequality that have long divided our region.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

In countries that were able to secure deals with manufacturers, vaccination 💉 campaigns have been steady, and coverage continues to climb 📈.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

More than 60% of people have been fully vaccinated in Canada, Chile, and Uruguay, and over half of the US population has received the full course of vaccinations 💉

But, unfortunately, countries with high coverage are the exception in our Region 🌎

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Delays in production, export bans and limited vaccine 💉 supplies have meant that many countries are still awaiting the doses 📦 they expected months ago.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

More than a third of countries in our region have yet to vaccinate 💉 20% of their populations 👴🏽👩🏿‍🦱👨🏻👩🏽

➡️ And in some places, coverage is much lower.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Vaccination 💉 rates remain in the teens in several Caribbean and South American countries and coverage is still in the single digits in Central American nations like Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Not to mention Haiti and Venezuela, where fragile health systems 🏥 and political challenges have further delayed immunizations.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

We need to deliver 📦 an additional 540 million doses to ensure that every country in the Americas 🌎 can cover at least 60% of their population.

➡️ So we must expand vaccine access in our region, especially in the places that are lagging behind.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

With this in mind, I want to lay out 3️⃣ priorities to accelerate vaccine coverage in our region ⤵️

✳️ We need more 💉 donations
✳️ We need to let public health guide our pandemic 🦠 response
✳️ & we need countries to deliver 💉 as soon as they arrive

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Our goal is to protect as many people 👴🏽👩🏽👨🏻👩🏿‍🦱 as possible, as quickly as possible with COVID-19 vaccines 💉

To achieve this, we must work together 🤝 to maximize the impact of COVID vaccinations and significantly improve access.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

PAHO’s Revolving Fund is already pooling demand from countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, to secure more doses 📦 in the coming months and address current gaps.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

We are also thinking ahead and making plans to significantly improve regional vaccine 💉 manufacturing capacity.

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

Just last week, we launched a new platform that convenes partners around a shared vision of boosting state-of-the-art vaccine 💉 production in Latin America and the Caribbean 🌎

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19

The Americas 🌎 have a successful legacy of immunization 💉, grounded on cooperation.

➡️ We must embrace this as our way out of the pandemic 🦠

@DirOPSPAHO #COVID19