COVID-19 vaccines will not be a ‘quick-fix’ for the Americas – PAHO Director

COVID-19 cases in the Americas represent roughly half of all infections detected worldwide, and the vaccines will not be able to provide a ‘quick-fix’ to resume normalcy.

This is according to Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Dr Carissa Etienne, who noted that this is the most extraordinary public health crisis in this lifetime, and it is a huge undertaking to get everyone immunised.
“This pandemic stands out in both scale and impact. And it has put a spotlight on two of the longstanding challenges of our region: inequality, and underinvestment of our health systems…

“While we hope 2021 will usher in a new chapter in our fight against this virus, protecting the millions of people in our region with COVID-19 vaccines will be a huge undertaking; so we must be patient, and remain realistic that COVID-19 will be among us for some time, so our work to control it cannot, and must not, stop,” Dr Etienne shared.

COVID-19 was declared a global crisis less than one year ago, and within that time, the Americas has recorded nearly 31 million cases and 787,000 deaths.
The PAHO Director noted that 2021 is a time to address the longstanding challenges of inequality and underfunded health systems.
Meanwhile, progress made in managing other diseases could be lost as attention focuses mainly on the pandemic.

“I hope that, as we look back on it, we remember it not only as the year that brought us COVID-19, but the year we finally decided to make health our top priority. Health systems across our region struggled to manage the influx of COVID-19 cases due to limited supplies, space and staff. The COVID-19 response also disrupted the essential health services that people depend on to manage conditions like HIV, TB, as well as diabetes and hypertension,” Dr Etienne highlighted.

She added that, in the early stages, PAHO helped member countries obtain access to PCR tests; developed a laboratory network to detect cases in cities and rural areas; trained health workers, and assisted in delivering resources and support. The number of ICU beds in Latin America nearly doubled this year, thanks to countries’ swift efforts.
“PAHO was able to support readiness assessments in more than 500 public hospitals in our region that helped shape country strategies against this virus. PAHO has led hundreds of trainings and donated millions of PPEs and diagnostic tests, and issued more than 100 pieces of technical guidance to ensure that health workers understand the latest science and can access the latest tools they need to safely combat this virus.”

This week, some of the most vulnerable people in our region are already receiving COVID-19 vaccines, with millions more doses expected early next year.
Global partnerships like the COVAX Facility are also pooling resources, expertise and efforts to ensure that countries have equal access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines under the same timelines.
Dr Etienne has said that even as vaccines are rolled out, “countries cannot get complacent, they should continue to promote the appropriate public health measures to control cases, such as mask-wearing and social distancing. Patients will need to be tested, isolated, cared for, and we must continue to quarantine suspected cases. None of this can stop, or we risk too many lives. I am concerned about all the work ahead; it won’t be easy nor quick.”