As COVID-19 deaths rose for a sixth consecutive week in the Americas, Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) Director Dr Carissa Etienne says reduced public health measures contribute.
During PAHO’s weekly press conference on COVID-19 in the Americas yesterday, Etienne said countries were not using all their tools to slow the spread that the Omicron Variant presents.
The region recorded over 34,000 deaths in the past week, a 5.6 per cent jump from the previous week. North American countries recorded the bulk of the deaths, combining 17,000.
Fifteen Caribbean countries reported an increase in deaths while hospitalisations grew up to 19 per cent in some countries and territories in the Eastern portion. Meanwhile, new infections declined by 31 per cent as the region recorded 3.3 million cases.
“This trend shows that every time infections surge, there is a heavy toll for families and communities. Peaks in cases have been followed by peaks in deaths three weeks later. COVID-19 is a preventable disease, and right now, we are losing far too many lives. In fact, COVID-19 has been deadlier in the Americas than in any other region. We have lost more than 2.5 million people over the course of the pandemic, and in the first month of 2022, over 100,000 died due to this virus,” Etienne said.
Explaining why the region sees a surge in infections and deaths two years into the pandemic, Etienne said Omicron spreads quicker than previous strains and brings a greater volume of cases.
“Unfortunately, as Omicron arrived, we did not use all the tools that we had developed to slow the spread and prevent infections for the new kind of transmission patterns that Omicron presented. Too many places in our region remain just as they were before this wave: people relaxed their precautions, travelled and gathered and met indoors, often unmasked, creating opportunities for transmission.”
She said the reduced public health measures were insufficient to reduce the scale of the Omicron wave, and the region was now dealing with the consequences. As seen throughout the pandemic, people living with comorbidities face the highest risk. Etienne said more than half of deaths occurred in people over age 65 in all countries across the region. Many people remain unprotected and are yet to receive life-saving vaccines.
Meanwhile, many of the people hospitalised with COVID-19 are unvaccinated. They fill Intensive Care Units and are succumbing to the virus. Etienne said 14 countries and territories already immunised 40 per cent of their eligible populations.
However, to reach the World Health Organisation’s 70 per cent coverage target, health authorities need to vaccinate approximately 20 million more people.
Etienne said unless countries protect vulnerable groups, they cannot overcome the pandemic.
“Inaction is not an option when up to 34,000 people have died from this virus each week during the last few weeks in the Americas. That means up to 202 people have died every hour in this region.
She said countries need to act quickly to save lives as Omicron would not be the last variant. Acknowledging the slowing vaccination rate in T&T and the Eastern Caribbean, Etienne said she does not doubt that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 was the smartest thing a person could do to protect themselves and their community.
She maintained that all the WHO-approved vaccines were safe.
