BRAZIL (Reuters) – New cases of COVID-19 continue to decline in North America, but in Latin America infections continue to rise, especially in Brazil, where a resurgence has caused record daily deaths, the Pan American Organization warned on Wednesday. Health (PAHO)
“We are concerned about the situation in Brazil. It offers a sober reminder of the threat of resurgence: areas affected by the virus in the past are still vulnerable to infection today, “said PAHO Director Carissa Etienne in a briefing.
He said the cases are increasing in almost all Brazilian states, with the state of Amazonas especially affected. (Graphic: tmsnrt.rs/34pvUyi)
A new variant first discovered late last year has led to an increase in new infections that have overwhelmed the healthcare system, which continues to experience a widespread shortage of medical supplies, including oxygen, he said.
Brazil needs “very strict” public health measures to curb the rise that is overwhelming the hospital’s ICU wards, said Sylvain Aldighieri, PAHO’s incident manager.
Brazil on Thursday reported a record 1,972 deaths from COVID-19 in 24 hours. Brazil has the second total death toll behind the United States.
The United States and Canada continue to see a decline in new COVID-19 cases, PAHO said.
Cuba, the Bahamas, St. Lucia and Guadeloupe are facing an increase in infections, and in South America, Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile are reporting an increase in new cases, while Peru and Bolivia are finally seeing declines, according to PAHO. .
Vaccines have begun to reach Latin America, with 28.7 million doses allocated to the region over the next three months, through the COVAX facility led by the GAVI alliance and the World Health Organization for provide equitable access to traits.
Honduras will receive its first 48,000 doses through the COVAX mechanism in the coming days, said Etienne, followed by El Salvador, which will have to receive 32,600 doses and Guatemala 81,8000 doses, all from the AstraZeneca vaccine.
PAHO, the WHO regional office for America, has placed orders at the Serum Institute of India for 135,000 doses for Nicaragua and 228,000 for Bolivia, he said.
But PAHO warned that supply of vaccines is limited, due to manufacturing restrictions and high demand, and some countries will have to wait a few months until they receive theirs.
According to a Reuters account, Latin America has recorded about 22.3 million cases of coronavirus and 704,000 deaths, almost double the number of deaths in Asia and Africa combined.
Reports by Anthony Boadle, edited by Lisa Shumaker