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PAHO PAHO warns of low COVID vaccination levels in the Caribbean

Written by on September 3, 2021

Two Covid Vials on Pink Surface

(Loop Caribbean) – Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) Director Dr Carissa F Etienne warned that 75 per cent of the population in Latin America and the Caribbean has yet to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and reported that her agency is accelerating its drive to expand vaccine access throughout the region.

“Three-fourths of people in Latin America and the Caribbean have not been fully immunized,” she said during her weekly media briefing on Wednesday. “More than a third of countries in our region have yet to vaccinate 20 per cent of their populations and in some places, coverage is much lower.”

“Three-fourths of people in Latin America and the Caribbean have not been fully immunized,” she said during her weekly media briefing on Wednesday. “More than a third of countries in our region have yet to vaccinate 20 per cent of their populations and in some places, coverage is much lower.”

“Vaccination rates remain in the teens in several Caribbean and South American countries and coverage is still in the single digits in Central American nations like Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua,” Etienne insisted.

She said that in total, 540 million COVID-19 vaccine doses must be delivered to ensure that all countries in Latin America and the Caribbean can cover at least 60 per cent of their populations.

“So we must expand vaccine access in our region, especially in the places that are lagging,” she said.

Etienne urged countries to prioritize the most vulnerable for vaccination, such as the elderly, health workers and those living with pre-existing conditions. Countries should make sure that logistics systems can absorb vaccine doses and cold chains can keep them cool and that health systems are ready to deliver doses fast once they arrive.

While vaccination rates are low in Latin America and the Caribbean, many countries are experiencing a rapid rise in COVID-19 infection.


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