One in 4 COVID-19 Deaths Reported Globally Last Week Happened in the Americas
Share this post:
PAHO Director warns that health systems in some countries are overwhelmed and urges nations with extra vaccines to donate them to the region.
PAN American Health Organization (PAHO) Director, Dr. Carissa Etienne
Hospitals in South and Central America are struggling to cope with a heavy influx of COVID-19 patients as the pandemic continues to surge across the region, Pan American Health Organization Director Carissa F. Etienne reported this week.
“Hospitalizations are at an all-time high in Costa Rica, and we expect more patients will require care as the country reported a 50% jump in cases in the last week,” Dr. Etienne told reporters at her weekly media briefing. “Guatemala’s hospitals have also reached maximum capacity,” she said, and at hospitals in Colombia, “ICU beds are running out in major metropolitan cities like Bogota and Medellin.”
1 in 4 COVID-19 deaths reported globally last week happened in the Americas
Format
PAHO Director warns that health systems in some countries are overwhelmed and urges nations with extra vaccines to donate them to the region.
Washington, D.C., April 28, 2021 (PAHO) – Hospitals in South and Central America are struggling to cope with a heavy influx of COVID-19 patients as the pandemic continues to surge across the region, Pan American Health Organization Director Carissa F. Etienne reported today.
“Hospitalizations are at an all-time high in Costa Rica, and we expect more patients will require care as the country reported a 50% jump in cases in the last week,” Dr. Etienne told reporters at her weekly media briefing. “Guatemala’s hospitals have also reached maximum capacity,” she said, and at hospitals in Colombia, “ICU beds are running out in major metropolitan cities like Bogota and Medellin.”
Washington, D.C. April 21, 2021 (PAHO) Misinformation is one of the most serious threats to public health, and it is most damaging when it fuels vaccine hesitancy, Pan American Health Organization Director Carissa F. Etienne said today.
“Every person in a vulnerable group that is hesitant to get the vaccine can become part of the sad statistics, one of the thousands of deaths that occur daily due to COVID-19. Vaccines are saving lives now and will contribute to control transmission in the near future when we achieve high immunization coverage,” she told a press briefing.
Reports of very rare unexpected side effects from some COVID-19 vaccines should not make people hesitate to get immunized, she said.
Vaccines alone will not stop COVID-19 surge
Share this post:
Warning that COVID-19 vaccine deliveries to the Americas have slowed, Pan American Health Organization Director Carissa F. Etienne urged countries to employ a “comprehensive strategy” of not only immunization but also public health measures to curb the surging pandemic.
PAN American Health Organization (PAHO) Director, Dr. Carissa Etienne
“I cannot stress this enough – for most countries, vaccines are not going to stop this wave of the pandemic,” Dr. Etienne said during her weekly media briefing. “There are simply not enough of them available to protect everyone in the countries at greatest risk.”