The Tribune

By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT

tsmith-cartwright@tribunemedia.net

A PAN American Health Organization official has revealed that over the past week, 1.5 million new COVID-19 cases have been reported in the region with some 40,000 related deaths.

Dr Carissa Etienne, PAHO director, made the announcement at the organisation’s weekly webinar which updates the region on the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only are the number of infections up, but the death count is alarming as well.

“In the last week, our region reported more than 1.5 million new COVID cases and nearly 40,000 COVID-related deaths,” Dr Etienne said. “Over the weekend, the world reached a tragic milestone: more than three million people have lost their lives to COVID. And nearly half of these deaths happened right here, in the Americas.

“Behind every death is a life cut short and the unimaginable suffering of families and loved ones. Their passing is a reminder that we must do more to protect each other because this virus continues to be a threat in every corner and community across our region.”

Dr Etienne said nearly every country in the region is reporting a rise in infections with Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic leading the way in high infections while Aruba, Bermuda, and Curaçao are reporting a rise in COVID-related deaths.

She warned about negativity related to social media in terms of spreading erroneous information about the vaccine, citing “misinformation” as a serious threat to public health.

“For more than a year, we have been inundated with news reports and information about this virus,” the PAHO director said. “Most of us have had a hard time keeping up, but science is a collaborative, evolving process, and researchers and doctors rely on shared information to learn from each other and build our collective knowledge to prevent and treat this virus.

“Transparency is paramount. That’s why PAHO continues to host these press briefings to share the latest trusted information and answer your questions. Today, misinformation is one of the most serious threats to our public health. Because unreliable information spreads quickly, PAHO is collaborating with tech companies like Twitter, Google, and Facebook to address fake news and ensure the public can easily find accurate information.”

She said misinformation is most damaging when it fuels vaccine hesitancy and that for more than 100 years, vaccines have saved millions of lives from infectious diseases and spared generations from diseases like smallpox, polio, and measles.

According to the PAHO official, the recent volcanic eruptions in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines have led to evacuations with thousands of people currently living in shelters. More than 137 COVID cases have been reported in the shelters thus far, and PAHO expects more new infections in the coming weeks.

On vaccines in the region Dr Etienne said, “We have helped deliver more than 4.2 million doses of COVID vaccines to 29 countries in the Americas. Millions of additional vaccines are due in the coming weeks. And we won’t stop until every country in our region has the vaccines they need.

“Next week is World Immunisation Week, an effort that started at PAHO 18 years ago with Vaccination Week in the Americas. This is a perfect time to remind us all of the power of vaccines to save lives. Today, vaccines are helping turn the tide of this pandemic.”

She informed reporters that any vaccine or medicine can present side events at a certain level.

She said, “When national regulators licence a vaccine or a medicine, or when WHO grants a pre-qualification or an Emergency Use Listing (EUL) authorisation, they weigh the benefits versus the risks. The vaccines delivered through COVAX have been thoroughly assessed by the WHO experts. The benefits of these vaccines in preventing infections, hospitalisations, and deaths outweigh the risks of side events.

“The reports of very rare unexpected side effects, and decisions by some regulatory bodies to conduct further analyses, demonstrate one thing: that our surveillance systems are working. We rely on surveillance systems to see how medicines and vaccines affect populations so we can understand even extremely rare adverse events and adapt our strategies when needed.”

Dr Etienne said the region needs more COVID vaccines, countries need to quickly administer the doses they have on hand, communities need to build trust in vaccines, and one should remember that these vaccines can save a life.