Colombia is one of five countries that account for 90% of the population that has died from COVID-19 in the region

Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Carissa F Etienne reported yesterday, May 22, that more than one million people in Latin America and the Caribbean have died from the coronavirus, a dramatic announcement for the fight against the pandemic which is already more than a year old in the world.

“The lives of a million people have been cut short by Covi-19. It is a tragic step for all the inhabitants of the regionEtienne reflects. “This pandemic is far from over and it is hitting Latin America hard, affecting our health, our economies and our entire societies. However, only 3% of our populations have been vaccinated“.

A total of 1,001,404 deaths were recorded in the region, out of the 31,586,075 cases detected, according to AFP. This toll represents a little less than 30% of deaths due to covid-19 recorded worldwide. Although in the past The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the actual number of deaths from the pandemic could be two to three times higher than official statistics suggest.

According to the portfolio of the 33 countries and territories that make up the region, there are on average nearly 3,900 deaths per day over the past seven days, which is a 1% increase from the previous week and from the level contagion, increased on average by 142,000 per day, implying a 10% increase in one week.

100% of deaths, Almost 90% are distributed in five countries which represent 70% of the region’s population: Brazil (446,309), Mexico (221,080), Colombia (83,233), Argentina (73,391) and Peru (67,253).

In the case of Colombia, the country will already spend two months trying to overcome the third peak of contagion, but due to the social and health context, it has been complex the daily mortality level has exceeded 500 deaths, in addition, according to the Ministry of Health, there are less than 20% of intensive care beds nationwide to treat patients infected with the virus.

According to figures from MinSalud, of the 13,002 total beds in Colombia, 7,641 are occupied by patients with confirmed or suspected covid-19 (6,729 by confirmed covid and 912 by suspected covid) and 3,364 beds are occupied by patients. suffering from different pathologies.

In contrast, in the midst of the news, the director of PAHO called for accelerating vaccination in the region and achieving the desired vaccination in order to reduce levels of mortality and contagion.

“If the region is an epicenter of suffering from Covid-19. It should also be an epicenter of vaccinationEtienne pointed out with great concern. According to the WHO, more than 153.5 million people have been vaccinated in the Americas, but only 21.6% of them are in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In the case of Colombia, according to official figures in court on May 21, More than 3 million nationals have received the two doses of these immunizers against the coronavirus. In addition, as indicated by the Ministry of Health, there are already 8,134,853 citizens who have received 1 dose of biological product, Therefore, the national vaccination plan is continuing with the objective of achieving herd immunity by December.

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