The Tribune

By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT

tsmith-cartwright@tribunemedia.net

THE Pan American Health Organization has revealed that although vaccine hesitancy is still quite prevalent in the Caribbean, some 39 percent of the population is now fully vaccinated.

PAHO’s director, Dr Carissa Etienne made the announcement yesterday at the organisation’s weekly webinar which updates the region on COVID-19.

While some countries are seeing a decline in COVID cases, many others are seeing spikes not only in cases, but in COVID-related deaths as well.

“In the Caribbean, Barbados is reporting the highest number of COVID cases and deaths since the pandemic started, following a five-fold increase in COVID infections over the last month,” Dr Etienne said. “Cases have also increased in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and smaller islands like the Cayman Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, and Anguilla.

“So, we continue to urge countries to keep a close eye on how the virus is spreading locally so they can focus on controlling these outbreaks.”

Public health measures remain critical to control the spread of COVID everywhere, especially as vaccine supply remains limited.

“Our region has embraced vaccines and 39 percent of people are fully vaccinated against COVID across Latin America and the Caribbean. It’s also encouraging to see that 26 countries and territories in the Americas have already immunised 40 percent or more of their populations,” she said.

Over a period of one week, the region reported some 1.1 million plus new cases and just over 24,000 COVID-related deaths. And, last week, the World Health Organization launched, what PAHO called, an ambitious new strategy to vaccinate 40 percent of the population of every country by the year’s end.

But, Dr Etienne said that is not the reality everywhere as in far too many places, vaccine coverage is much lower.

“Today I want to spotlight those countries in our region that are lagging and that will require special attention to meet this 40 percent vaccination target,” she said continuing.

“Six countries in our region have yet to reach 20 percent of their populations: These are Jamaica, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Haiti in the Caribbean, and Guatemala and Nicaragua in Central America.

“Across all these countries, vaccine availability due to unequal distribution of doses has been a central challenge. But many of these countries are facing their own unique barriers. In Jamaica, supply delays have gotten in the way. In Guatemala, shortages of syringes have delayed immunisation campaigns.”

She said in Haiti, logistical challenges continue to delay the roll out of available vaccination doses. And, across the Caribbean, “vaccine hesitancy among some groups remains a problem.”

In terms of PAHO’s support in countries obtaining vaccines, Dr Etienne said her organisation is committed to make it happen.

“Vaccines will help end this pandemic and PAHO is committed to supporting every country in our region to reach and exceed these WHO targets,” she said. “We’re working hard to accelerate vaccine deliveries to our region – including COVAX-procured and donated doses – especially for countries where coverage remains low.

“We’re supporting Jamaica, Guatemala, and Nicaragua in finalising preparations to receive COVAX and bilateral shipments in the coming weeks. In the last few days, we fast-tracked the delivery of a total of 1.3 million doses that were donated by Spain, Germany, the United States, and Canada. These vaccines are being used to boost coverage in Honduras, Guyana, Argentina, and Jamaica.”

She is pleased that countries in the region are actually sharing excess vaccines with other countries.

“We’ve also been glad to see countries within our region pitch in to support their neighbours by sharing doses so we can make the most of available supplies,” she said.

“As more vaccine doses are making their way to our region, we urge countries to make the necessary preparations so these doses can be used as quickly as possible.

“Based on the lessons from across our region, we know that the success of vaccination campaigns rests on having the infrastructure in place to roll out doses at scale. Now is the time to expand cold chains and invest in health systems – especially as financial institutions and donors alike have expressed their willingness to support countries to make these improvements.”

Dr Etienne said to be effective, vaccine campaigns in the region must be designed around the unique needs of the population.