Reuters.- The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is preparing to increase the availability of COVID-19 vaccines to member countries, officials said Wednesday, as the contagious Delta variant spreads through the region.
PAHO’s “Revolving Fund” is receiving requests for vaccines from countries in the region for the last three months of 2021 and for 2022, said the director of the organization, Carissa Etienne. More than 20 nations formally expressed interest.
“This new initiative will make available tens of millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines beyond the 20% offered by COVAX, and will complement bilateral agreements and with other existing avenues for countries to access vaccines,” Etienne said in a virtual press conference.
The Revolving Fund is a cooperative mechanism through which vaccines, syringes, and related supplies are purchased on behalf of PAHO member countries, regardless of their size or economic status.
More than 1.3 million cases and 19,000 deaths linked to COVID-19 were reported in the region in the last week, officials said.
The more infectious Delta variant has been detected in 28 countries and territories in the Americas, said Sylvain Aldighieri, PAHO’s Incident Manager for COVID-19. Transmission increased particularly in Mexico, Ecuador and Brazil.
“We still don’t know exactly what the impact of the Delta variant will be in Latin American countries,” Aldighieri said.
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Deaths related to COVID-19 are increasing in almost all Central American countries, including a 30% increase in El Salvador. Cases are declining in Panama and Costa Rica, but are on the rise in Honduras, Belize, and El Salvador.
In Cuba, where the largest protests recently occurred since Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution, the situation remains “very difficult” since transmission is very active, according to Ciro Ugarte, Director of Health Emergencies at PAHO.
“I believe that we will be able to mobilize solidarity and support for Cuba, also from the humanitarian side,” said Ugarte, adding that PAHO had already sent medical supplies to the island.
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