PAHO steps up COVID-19 surveillance and vaccine procurement to fight surging infections, PAHO Director reports
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31 Mar 2021
Genomic Surveillance Network is expanded to track variants while more than 2.5 million vaccine doses procured through COVAX arrive in 17 countries.
Washington, DC, March 31, 2021 (PAHO) – Pan American Health Organization Director Carissa F. Etienne said PAHO has increased virus surveillance, vaccine procurement, and supply of equipment to help countries in the Americas combat the COVID-19 pandemic. But the virus continues to take a heavy toll, with 19.7 million cases and 475,000 deaths reported in the first three months of 2021, she said.
“All countries should be on high alert: in this pandemic, complacency leads to more cases,” Dr. Etienne said during her weekly media briefing. “We urge our Member States to reinforce surveillance and act at the first sign that cases are rising. Don’t wait until you are overwhelmed. The risks for your people
Suriname receives its first COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX Facility - PAHO/WHO
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Jamaica becomes first country in the Caribbean to receive COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX Facility - PAHO/WHO
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Three more countries in the Americas receive COVID-19 vaccines made available through COVAX, PAHO reports
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PAHO is moving quickly to ensure delivery to more countries in coming weeks.
Washington, D.C. March 12, 2021 (PAHO) – In the last few days, three more countries in the Americas have received their first doses of COVID-19 vaccines procured through COVAX, a global effort between the Coalition for the Promotion of Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the Gavi Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), UNICEF, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Peru received 117,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on Wednesday. Yesterday Guatemala received 81,600 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, manufactured by SK Bioscience of South Korea, and El Salvador received 33,600 doses from the same manufacturer.