WHO has expressed concern over the pandemic situation in South America: “Things are going in the wrong direction”

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday expressed concern over the situation of the coronavirus pandemic in South America, warning that the epidemics that have already hit the region are getting worse again.

The WHO Director for Emergencies, Michael ryan, said 8 of the 10 countries with the highest death rates from covid-19 in recent weeks are located in the Americas.

“The situation in South America at this time continues to be a matter of great concern”Ryan told reporters.

“South America was in a very difficult situation just a few months ago and again, the situation starts to turn in the wrong direction “, he warned.

He also explained that “the transmission of the disease is intense, community transmission is widespread and health systems remain under pressure.” All of these factors, he said, are “reflected in the death rates.”

Ryan’s warning came a day later Peru will announce that it has increased the official death toll from the coronavirus from 69,342 to 180,764, the highest covid-19 death rate in the world.

Lima took the action on the recommendation of a technical group, which indicated that the balance was undervalued.

Several countries on the continent have been hit hard by the pandemic, and Brazil is one of the most affected countries in the world.

Ryan noted that the proportion of positive COVID-19 tests in many South American countries continues to be “remarkably high,” as in Paraguay (37%), Argentina (33%) and Colombia (30%).

At the same time, he regretted that “death rates in South America [en general son] higher than in many other parts of the world ”. This, he explained, is largely because The continent’s health systems have “long” been under great pressure.

“Mortality has increased in countries like Paraguay and Bolivia by around 20% last week,” said Ryan, after adding that the death rate in the region is above the global average and hovers around 3 to 5%.

In every country in the world where the virus has been highly transmissible, health systems have been under “intense pressure”, which “is increasing death rates,” he said.

Ryan said there is a need to “break this cycle” and urged countries to step up efforts to stem the virus, stressing the need for more equitable access to vaccines.

In the absence of high vaccination figures in much of the international community, the WHO official reiterated that It is advisable to maintain preventive measures such as the use of masks or respect for social distancing.

The Minister of Health of Chile, Enrique Paris, celebrated that the World Health Organization on Tuesday approved the use of the coronavac covid-19 vaccine, from the Chinese laboratory Sinovac, the one that has been administered the most in the country.

“This is great news and joy for Chile and for our vaccination plan,” said the official.

The WHO on Tuesday approved the emergency use of Coronavac, which became the second Chinese injection to get the green light from the body, after one developed by Sinopharm which was authorized last May. “Of the six vaccines the WHO has approved for emergency use, Chile has three: Pfizer, Astrazeneca and now Sinovac”added Paris.

Of the 22 million doses Chile has received since the start of the pandemic, more than 17 million have come from Coronavac, although they have also come in lesser measures from Pfizer (3.6 million), Astrazeneca ( approximately 700,000) and Cansino (300,000).

With information from AFP and EFE

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