Latin America and the Caribbean topped 1 million COVID-19 deaths

More than a million deaths from covid-19 have been officially recorded since the start of the pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean, one of the few regions in the world where the numbers are currently increasing, based on the number of independent agencies AFP and Reuters Friday at 9:05 p.m. GMT.

In total they were recorded 1,001,404 deaths in the region, while the detected cases amount to 31,586,075. Almost 90% of recorded deaths have occurred in five countries which are home to 70% of the region’s population: Brazil (446,309 deaths), Mexico (221,080), Colombia (83,233), Argentina (73,391) and Peru (67,253).

On average, in May, 31% of deaths from COVID-19 worldwide were in Latin America and the Caribbean, where only 8.4% of the world’s population live. Since the virus was discovered in December 2019 in China, Latin America and the Caribbean is the second region in the world with the most deaths, behind Europe (1,119,433 deaths) and ahead of the United States and Canada (614,248 deaths).

And currently, the top eight countries with the highest number of COVID-19 deaths per capita over the past week were all from Latin America..

The daily death toll in South America fell to 3,872 in May, from an average of 4,558 in April, according to an analysis by Reuters. But cases are on the rise again and deaths are a lagging indicator, which they usually increase weeks after an increase in new infections.

The director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Carissa Etienne, described the million dead as “a tragic step for all the inhabitants of the region”.

“This pandemic is far from over, and it is hitting Latin America hard, affecting our health, our economies and our entire societies,” denounced the official, who stressed the slow progress of the vaccination campaign and said urged countries with excessive doses to donate. party ”to the Americas, where“ it is desperately needed and will be used quickly ”. “Only 3% of the population has been fully vaccinated», He indicated.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has criticized the “glaring gaps” in access to COVID-19 vaccines in Latin America, compared to the United States, which has received most of the 400 million doses administered so far. now on the American continent.

In this context, the main manufacturers of COVID-19 vaccines have promised produce 3.5 billion doses for poor countries. Pfizer / BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson pledged this Friday, at a G20 summit in Rome, to donate 3.5 billion doses to the most disadvantaged countries between 2021 and 2022.

As they explained, this year, around 1300 million doses will be delivered and in 2022, the rest. Pfizer will supply 2 billion doses, Moderna “up to” 995 million and Johnson & Johnson “up to 500 million.”

Low income countries they will be able to buy them at cost price and those of average income, at reduced prices, specified the laboratories during the summit organized by the Italian presidency of the G20 and the European Commission.

Previously, the European Union (EU) announced that it would offer 100 million doses, Italy 300 million euros (365 million dollars) and France 30 million doses via Covax, the global system for distributing vaccines to poor countries.

In order to vaccinate at least the 40% of the world’s population by the end of the year and approaching the end of the pandemic, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) also proposed this Friday a plan with funding estimated at $ 50,000 million.

“Our proposal establishes objectives, assesses financing needs and define pragmatic actions», Said Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the IMF, during the World Health Summit held in Rome, within the framework of the G20.

The plan claims that at least the 60% of the world’s population is vaccinated by the end of 2022 to enable a sustainable global economic recovery.

Globally, the coronavirus has already left more than 3.4 million deaths worldwide, according to the latest AFP report on Friday.

And the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that the The excess mortality caused by the pandemic is up to three times higher than deaths attributed to COVID-19 since the first cases were detected in China in late 2019.

As it traveled through the region, the virus not only brought death, showing the shortcomings of local health systems, with overwhelming hospitals and a shortage of equipment, But it also hits the fragile economies marked by inequalities hard.

No country has been spared the onslaught of the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus.

Even Chile, previously considered one of the region’s most prosperous economies, suffered an economic contraction of 5.8% in 2020, its worst record in 40 years. More than a million people have lost their jobs, a situation which in extreme cases has led many to settle in camps, one of the most visible faces of poverty.

With information from AFP

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