Deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines procured through COVAX accelerate

PAHO Director reports 728,000 doses will be dropped at five nations within the Americas in coming days.

Washington, D.C., March 17, 2021 (PAHO) – Deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines are deciding on up streak throughout the Americas as more nations prepare for the upcoming near near arrival of doses procured through COVAX, the international mechanism for equitable distribution of vaccines, Pan American Health Group (PAHO) Director Carissa F. Etienne reported at the present time.

At some level of her weekly media briefing, Dr. Etienne acknowledged that over the next couple of days, PAHO’s Revolving Fund will elevate 728,000 COVAX-procured COVID-19 vaccines to 5 regional nations. In total, PAHO has placed orders for more than 3.4 million doses, she acknowledged.

“For all these nations – even these which obtained itsy-bitsy donations earlier this month – these COVAX deliveries will enable the delivery of regular vaccination efforts,” Dr. Etienne acknowledged. “We are happy that vaccines through COVAX are being delivered but we acknowledge that the need for more vaccines and sooner is massive within the Americas.”

She acknowledged perfect two vaccine manufacturers are dispatching tens of millions of doses to dozens of nations spherical the realm. “That is a bottleneck that soundless prevents us from getting vaccines to every country at the similar time,” she acknowledged. “But shipments will change into more real as more doses are on hand to COVAX within the next couple of months.”

The upcoming shipments to 5 nations educate shipping of 400,000 doses of COVAX-procured vaccines to regional nations, at the side of Peru, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Jamaica. Colombia obtained COVAX-procured doses through a pilot program earlier this month.

COVAX is a international effort between the Coalition for the Promotion of Epidemic Preparedness Improvements (CEPI), the Gavi Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), and the World Health Group (WHO), working in partnership with UNICEF as key implementing accomplice. Within the Americas, the PAHO Revolving Fund is the known procurement agent for the COVAX facility. Thirty-six nations within the Americas are taking share in COVAX.

With COVID vaccination campaigns underway throughout our subject, we’re before the total thing of the cease of this pandemic. But whereas there’s reason at the assist of hope, we must the least bit times furthermore take into accounts that doses are diminutive, and this can even be several months forward of we’ll offer you the chance to depend upon vaccines to have up a watch on this virus.”

She acknowledged that as vaccinations are administered, “our aim must be to put as many lives as that you might well well maybe judge of by prioritizing early doses if you are at most practical seemingly chance of infection. The clinical consultants who are treating COVID sufferers, the aged and these living with existing conditions need to reach first.” In total, almost 1.3 million of us had been infected with COVID-19 within the Americas within the previous week, and nearly 31,000 died because of the virus.

Caribbean nations are furthermore having a survey forward to arrivals of vaccines. Fifteen Caribbean nations will salvage accurate over 2.1 million doses of COVAX-procured vaccines by Could maybe maybe, primarily primarily based on allocation figures offered for the main spherical of deliveries. “Subsequent week, we seek data from that many nations within the Caribbean will delivery to gaze the main COVAX shipments come on their shores,” Dr. Etienne acknowledged.

A fourth vaccine, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, has been approved by WHO, which issued an Emergency Use License (EUL) final week. COVAX has secured over 100 million doses of the vaccine for 2021 and up to 500 million through 2022, with doses anticipated to delivery arriving in July. The vaccine, which offers security with a single dose, guarantees to accelerate vaccination efforts.

Previously, 28 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered to Latin American and Caribbean populations whereas almost 138 million doses were offered throughout the Americas.

Dr. Etienne cautioned that nations need to have public health measures – hand washing, social distancing, and screen carrying. Even these which were vaccinated will need to soundless adhere to the measures. “Stopping this pandemic would require every that we limit recent infections and that we enlarge come by admission to to vaccines,” she acknowledged. “So, we must the least bit times no longer let our guard down now. Let’s have hope alive.”

Even as vaccines come, Dr. Etienne identified, COVID-19 is accelerating its spread in about half of of the nations within the Americas.

The quantity of instances is rising in lots of South American nations, at the side of Uruguay, Ecuador and Venezuela. “Within the final week, Paraguay’s health map issued an pressing warning as hospitals have full of COVID sufferers,” Dr. Etienne acknowledged. “Main cities delight in Lima and Rio de Janeiro have imposed curfews and lockdowns to have up a watch on most up-to-date spikes.”

In Brazil, several areas are experiencing document-excessive infections and clinical institution beds are nearing ability in additional than half of of states. The country is reporting the second most practical seemingly COVID each day death toll within the realm.

Unique infections are declining within the U.S. and Mexico whereas instances are rising in Canada, particularly among young adults. Within the Caribbean, recent infections are declining but many islands are reporting a rise in COVID 19-connected deaths.


 

Contacts

Daniel Epstein


Nancy Nusser


Sebastián Oliel

mediateam@paho.org