PAHO: Global increase in covid19 puts us on alert

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) remains alert to the increase in cases and deaths from covid19 in some regions of the world.

Dr Jarbas Barbosa, deputy director of PAHO, said at Wednesday's weekly webinar that covid19 infections increased last week by 28.9 per cent in the Western Pacific region, which includes China; 12.3 per cent in Africa; and almost two per cent in Europe, compared to the previous week.

"Cases are rising again in other parts of the world, which serves as a warning to our region," Barbosa said.

In the Americas, cases continued to decline for the eighth consecutive week. More than 901,000 new cases were reported in the week of March 6, but this was a drop of 19 per cent compared to the previous week.

Weekly deaths also continued their downward trajectory for the fifth consecutive week, with 15,523 new deaths reported, or 18.4 per cent fewer, PAHO said.

But Barbosa said although most American countries and territories reported a reduction in new infections, in the Caribbean and on the Atlantic islands, cases increased by 56.6 per cent.

Given the risk of contagion that the pandemic still poses, PAHO urged the Americas to increase covid19 vaccination rates.

He said the Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico and Chile have vaccinated more than 90 per cent of their population, but 21 countries have not yet vaccinated half.

“This leaves us at risk. We must improve efforts,” said Barbosa.

He said countries should not neglect childhood vaccinations against measles, polio, rubella, diphtheria and other diseases.

“In two years we have reversed these vaccination levels and we have outbreaks of measles in Brazil, while yellow fever and diphtheria threaten to return to our population,” he said.

Barbosa said PAHO will work with all the countries to have vaccination campaigns and bring them up to date with all the children and adolescents who have not received their vaccines. The PAHO revolving fund will continue to support countries in buying routine vaccines.

“Countries must also make important decisions about vaccinating children against covid19. Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Brazil, among others, have made alliances with leaders they trust to maintain high vaccination coverage. Countries can take advantage of the deployment of covid19 vaccines and catch up on vaccinations that have not been done,” he said.

He gave three possible reasons why many people have not been vaccinated yet. He said some countries have not had much community transmission o high death rates, and the risk rate is not as great as in other countries and people feel safe. Secondly, there is some vaccine reluctance because people are victims of false news and need objective information; and, thirdly, PAHO wants to improve and enlarge the storage capacity for vaccines in each country.

PAHO continues to work with ministries so that the vaccines that are arriving are administered,he said.