While the number of Covid-19 cases in the region has fallen for the first time in five weeks, the director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Carissa F Etienne, has urged countries to remain vigilant about Covid-19 and other health issues, such as monkey pox, which was declared a public health emergency of international concern last weekend.
“Being healthy and being safe from disease is an action, not a guarantee,” the director said at her weekly press conference on Thursday, calling on countries to use the resources at their disposal — vaccines, drugs and surveillance.
Despite an overall decline in Covid-19 in the region, Dr Etienne warned that cases remain high, with countries reporting 1.6 million new infections in the past week.
In North America, Canada reported a 20% increase in new cases, and some countries in Central and South America also reported increases. In the Caribbean, hospitalizations continue to rise in Cuba, Guadeloupe, French Guiana and Trinidad and Tobago.
The PAHO director emphasized that, as is the case in Europe, the sub-strains Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 are becoming the predominant strains in America, but with one important difference – vaccination coverage.
Europe’s high vaccination coverage means that most Covid-19 patients have been able to manage their symptoms safely at home, but in America “a third of the population is still unvaccinated and ten countries and territories still need to protect 40% of their populations.” she said.
Given the increased portability of the new subfamilies, Dr. Etienne urged countries to take public health measures, such as social distancing and wearing masks, and advised that hospitals in low-vaccination areas “should brace themselves” for an influx of Covid-19 patients.
The PAHO director also said countries should also prepare for monkeypox/monkeypox, which was declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) last weekend.
In the Americas, the number of cases has risen to nearly 5,300 in 18 countries and territories.
But while nearly all cases to date have been reported among men who have sex with men between the ages of 25 and 45, the director warned against stigma and discrimination, stressing that “anyone, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, can get the monkeypox.”