By: Staff Writer
February 22, 2022
There has been a steady decline in COVID-19 infections COVID-19 deaths are up by nearly 6 percent in the region says the Pan America Health Organisation (PAHO) director.
Dr Carissa Etienne, at PAHO’s weekly press briefing, said: “New COVID-19 infections continued to decline across our region, with a decrease of 31 percent as compared to the previous week, but they remain very high. Deaths are still on the rise, showing an increase of 5.6 percent last week.”
She continued, “Over the last week, the Americas reported 3.3m new cases and more than 34,000 COVID-19-related deaths. Deaths have increased for six consecutive weeks.
“In North America, the United States recorded 17,000 deaths – the highest number in the subregion.
“Across Central America, countries saw deaths surge after a rise in hospitalizations and ICU admissions.”
Adding: “Also, 15 countries across the Caribbean reported an increase in COVID-related deaths. Hospitalizations grew up to 19 percent in some countries and territories of the Eastern Caribbean.
“These trends show that every time infections surge, there is a heavy toll for our families and communities. Peaks in cases have been followed by peaks in deaths three weeks later.”
In fact, the Americas is second behind Europe with the most infections in the last seven days the World Health Organisation tracker shows with 2.5m new cases to Europe’s 7.8m.
She also said: “COVID-19 is a preventable disease – and right now, we are losing far too many lives. In fact, COVID-19 has been deadlier in the Americas than in any other region. We have lost more than 2.5m people over the course of the pandemic and in the first month of 2022 alone, over 100,000 people died due to this virus.”
The Omicron variant “overtook them” and that this is the reason behind the surge in cases in the region said Dr Etienne.
“The variant spread more quickly than others, and we are dealing with a greater volume of cases than ever before,” she said.
She continued, “Unfortunately, as Omicron arrived, we didn’t use all the tools we had developed to slow the spread and prevent infections for the new kind of transmission patterns that Omicron presents.
“Too many places in our region remained just as they were before this wave: people relaxed their precautions, travelled, and gathered and met indoors, often unmasked, creating opportunities for transmission.
“The truth is that the reduced public health measures were insufficient to reduce the scale of this wave.”
Urging for more vaccinations, she noted: “Omicron has shown that the vaccines that we have at hand can protect most of us from severe illness and death. 14 countries and territories in our region have already immunized more than 70 percent of their eligible populations. We are on track to help other nations reach that mark and must continue to strive for equitable access so that we can reach everyone.
“We have now delivered 100m doses of COVID-19 vaccines to 33 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, thanks to the work of PAHO’s Revolving Fund in coordination with COVAX. We are also thankful for donations of vaccines from nine countries, which made up 30 percent of that 100m dose milestone.
“In addition to promoting vaccinations, countries also know how to adjust hospital systems to accommodate new surges, while making sure health workers have the protection and knowledge to safely treat COVID patients.”