PAHO has warned America’s new wave of COVID-19 could be longer than the previous one

The new wave of COVID-19 that countries in America are experiencing could be more widespread than the previous one, as is already the case in Brazil, Uruguay and Cuba, and the main advice given to the accelerated increase in cases is to stay at home, the director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on Wednesday.

Carissa Etienne said that the region will see a sharp rise in infections, even in countries that have successfully overcome the first wave, if the proper containment measures are not taken.

“Let me be clear on this. Without preventive actions, our region could face an even longer wave than the previous one“Said the head of the regional body.

Etienne explained that the end of summer in the southern hemisphere, after the holidays during which families and friends gathered, generated an increase in infections, so urged governments to be careful before easing movement restrictions.

PAHO has reported that to date, more than 19.7 million cases of COVID and 475,000 deaths have been reported in America, with at least one of the three most worrying variants identified in 32 countries and territories in the region .

The Director of PAHO expressed particular concern for Brazil, where the number of COVID deaths and infections has skyrocketed, and has reported that hospital intensive care bed occupancy rates exceed 80% in all but two of the states in the country.

Other agency experts pointed out that prevention measures were – and continue to be – insufficient to prevent further accelerated transmission of the disease, to which is added the P1 variant which has spread throughout the South American country and put the rest of the region in danger.

The organization has identified at least one of the three most disturbing variants of the COVID coronavirus in 32 countries and territories in America. Meanwhile, Brazil’s Butantan Institute said on Wednesday it had found another mutation in the virus similar to the South African mutation.

Regarding vaccination processes, PAHO has stated that So far 124 million people have received a dose of one of the COVID injections and 58 million have completed both doses in the region.

The Alliance COVAX, which seeks to distribute vaccines to the most vulnerable countries, has already sent a total of 2.5 million doses in the region in the last 30 days, and by next week all countries in America will have received at least one batch provided by the program, said PAHO Deputy Director Jarbas Barbosa.

The vaccine supply “continues to be our biggest challenge,” admitted Etienne, calling on surplus countries to donate doses to countries in difficulty.

(With information from Reuters)

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