PAHO warns that Covid-19 is not under control, despite a decrease in cases in the region

The increase in Covid-19 infections in various parts of the world is a “warning” for Americas that the virus is not under control despite the decrease in infections in the region, said on Wednesday the Pan American Health Organization.

PAHO, regional office of the World Health Organization (WHO), highlighted that infections of the new coronavirus increased last week by 28.9% in the region of the Western Pacificwhich includes China; 12.3% in Africa; and almost 2% in Europe relative to the previous week.

“Cases are increasing again in other parts of the world, which serves as a warning to our region,” said PAHO deputy director at a press conference. Jarbas Barbosa.

In the Americas, Covid-19 cases continued to decline for the eighth consecutive week with more than 901,000 new cases reported in the week of March 6, a 19% drop compared to the previous week. Weekly deaths also continued their downward trajectory for the fifth week in a row, with 15,523 new deaths reported (-18.4%), the report said. OPS.

But Barbosa indicated that although most American countries and territories reported a reduction in new infections, in the Caribbean and on the islands of the Atlantic Ocean cases increased by 56.6 percent.

“Infections and deaths from Covid-19 are declining in most of our region, but too many cases and deaths are still being reported every day, a clear indication that transmission is not yet under control.”

Given the risk that the pandemic still poses, PAHO urged the countries of the Americas to expand anticovid vaccination rates.

Barbosa stressed that Chileas well as the Cayman Islands and Puerto Rico (British and American territories in the Caribbean, respectively), have already vaccinated more than 90% of their population, but he recalled that 21 countries and territories in the Americas still have to vaccinate 50 per hundred.