PAHO concerned about vaccine hesitancy

Dr Carissa Etienne, director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), said on Wednesday at a virtual conference she is very anxious about covid19 vaccine hesitancy in the Caribbean.

Etiene responded to questions from Newsday and other international media about people's doubts about available vaccines.

She said: "I am extremely concerned about what is happening in the Caribbean. We are now seeing people who are relaxing public health measures and a high level of doubts about vaccines,"

She made a special appeal because of the limited capacity of available beds and qualified medical personnel.

"I do not know the sources who are giving incorrect information about the vaccines. That is false. The vaccines are showing both doses protect, and the best (vaccine) is the one available right now in each country."

She said the vaccines and health measures must be respected.

“Wake up from that lethargy, from that dream. Yes, we know there are some unusual effects, but these secondary events are being tracked worldwide."

She said action in the event of adverse side effects could be taken immediately. There is no drug that does not have side effects, she said.

"Please get vaccinated, please use masks, avoid crowds of people, I know in the Caribbean people like to be around, but please take care of yourselves," Etienne stressed.

Dr Jarbas Barbosa, deputy director of PAHO, acknowledged there are still many people who have doubts and that governments must work even harder on communication.

“The ministries of health should look for the groups with doubts and go to them to explain the benefits of vaccination. Vaccines, like other measures, have been politicised in several countries and must be addressed in a very direct way, involving health professionals, journalists and increasing the entire communication system."

Barbosa said vaccines are saving lives and reducing hospitalisations.

"It is not possible that people would prefer to go to intensive care units than to protect themselves with the vaccine, which is the best solution right now," he said.

Etienne highlighted donations from various countries to nations least likely to obtain them.

But she said even through Covax, bilateral donations and free access, efforts necessary for countries to have access to vaccines are insufficient.

“The most important thing is that our 41 countries have access to the revolving fund to obtain affordable prices and that vaccines can reach all corners of the population,” she said.

PAHO is offering an opportunity to access vaccines through its revolving fund, which is receiving requests from more than 20 countries for the last three months of the year.

"The revolving fund will bring millions of doses beyond the established 20 per cent, in an initiative that will benefit all countries, especially countries with fewer possibilities," she said.

PAHO is offering countries an alternative to Covax and is trying to reach 70-80 per cent of the vaccinated population.

“Our goal is to purchase enough vaccines through a revolving fund operating plan we have had for more than 40 years,” Etienne said.

On the delta variant, Dr Sylvain Aldighieri, PAHO incident director, said it is still too early to determine the consequences of the variants.

“There is currently a high increase in community transmissions of the delta variant in several countries, so it is important to maintain health measures."

However, he said, "There is a growing body of data that indicates that vaccines have a high level of efficacy against all variants and prevent serious cases of hospitalisation.”

Dr Ciro Ugarte, PAHO's director of emergencies, said 95 per cent of the cases reported to date are in unvaccinated adults.

Etienne reported on Wednesday covid19 cases and deaths continue to rise in Canada and the US.

In Central America the numbers are falling in some countries, but increasing in others. In the Caribbean, Cuba continues to cause concern, as do Martinique and the Dominican Republic, with a 30 per cent increase in deaths.

"Increasing access to vaccines remains a priority because they are proven to save lives."

Etienne said the vaccination disparity is unacceptable today, with levels at less than 20 per cent in most countries and less than five per cent in others.

The region of the Americas has had high vaccination rates over the years, with strong immunisation programmes for decades against polio, seasonal influenzas and yellow fever, among others.