The Tribune

By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT

tsmith-cartwright@tribunemedia.net

PAN American Health Organisation officials have reported a “grim milestone” this week in that since the start of the pandemic some two million people in the region have died of COVID-19 complications.

Additionally, only 18 percent of people in Latin America and the Caribbean have been inoculated.

This was revealed by PAHO’s director, Dr Carissa Etienne, during the organisation’s weekly webinar yesterday.

“Over the last week, more than 1.2 million COVID-19 cases and 20,000 COVID-related deaths were reported in the Americas,” Dr Etienne said. “Unfortunately, this week we also mark another grim pandemic milestone: over two million people in the Americas have died from COVID-19 complications. That’s roughly the population of Houston, Texas.

“The latter figure is the number of deaths since the onset of the pandemic.

“This loss hangs heavy in our hearts, and it is a distressing reminder that we must act urgently to prevent further suffering.

“COVID infections are accelerating in North America, driven primarily by a surge in cases in the southern and eastern United States and in central Mexico. Cases are also on the rise in the Caribbean, where Cuba, Martinique and the British Virgin Islands are continuing to see an increase in new cases.”

The PAHO chief also reported that although vaccines remain a beacon of hope to control this pandemic, just 18 percent of people in Latin America and the Caribbean have been fully vaccinated.

“As we continue to be challenged by the pandemic, we must ensure our responses and our COVID vaccination campaigns do not widen inequities that have long plagued our region,” Dr Etienne said. “Instead, we must use this pandemic as a lesson that we cannot afford to leave anyone behind.

“Data are essential to guide effective policies. Too few countries collect data on the pandemic’s impact across ethnic groups, leaving ministries of health blind to important and valuable trends on how the virus is affecting our indigenous communities.”

As yesterday marked “World Indigenous People’s Day”, Dr Etienne put the spotlight on indigenous people during the webinar. She feels more has to be done for them during the pandemic.

“While this pandemic has impacted all of us, today I want to spotlight the challenges facing our indigenous communities,” she said. “The Americas are home to more than 62 million indigenous peoples that represent a rich fabric of languages, cultures, and societies.

“And while each group is unique, no matter where you look, our indigenous communities are more vulnerable to COVID infections. Nearly half of indigenous peoples live and work in urban centres and travel back and forth to visit their families and communities. Many of them live in communal societies that make practising social distancing and isolation very difficult. Together, this frequent movement and gathering creates opportunities for COVID to spread.”

Continuing to focus on indigenous people, Dr Etienne said the truth is that most of them just do not get the best in healthcare.

“Although we lack robust data for all indigenous communities, based on the data we do have from countries like Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, at least 617,000 indigenous people have been infected with COVID in the Americas and nearly 15,000 have died from COVID complications since the start of the pandemic,” she said.

“It’s likely that many more have been infected, but we may not know it because they have struggled to get the COVID care they deserve. Many of our indigenous peoples live in remote and isolated areas where a clinic or a doctor may be many kilometres or days away. Even those who live in urban centres still face invisible barriers – like language, stigma, and poverty – that can keep health care out of reach.”

The PAHO director challenged all countries to prioritise the needs of their indigenous people.

“We’ve long said that the pandemic has exacerbated inequalities in our region,” she continued. “And this is especially true for our indigenous peoples, since most lack the financial and social safety nets to ensure they can continue to provide for their families and communities, even when they’re sick.

“As countries continue to be challenged by COVID-19, we call on them to prioritize the needs of our indigenous peoples. We’re pleased to see that 17 countries across our region have listed indigenous peoples as a priority group for COVID vaccinations, and vaccination campaigns are already underway.

“So far, more than 134,000 indigenous people have been fully vaccinated across Guatemala and more than 312,000 have completed their COVID-19 vaccinations in Brazil. But we don’t have data from every country. That’s why we urge countries to collect more and better data to understand and resolve the challenges facing our indigenous groups.”

PAHO has worked closely with organizations that represent indigenous groups in the region to include FILAC, the Fund for Development of Indigenous Peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean and COICA, the Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon River Basin which issues culturally appropriate recommendations to countries across the region.