KINGSTON, Jamaica— Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director, Dr Carissa Etienne, says she is encouraged by the response from developed countries in facilitating increased access to COVID-19 vaccines to disproportionately impacted territories across the region.

The response, she said, includes an agreement by Spain to donate five million vaccine doses to Latin America and the Caribbean, representing about five to 10 per cent of the European country’s total supply, while Canada has committed Can$50 million to support expansion of vaccine access in the region.

“We are [also] encouraged by the United States Administration’s pledge to donate 80 million vaccine doses to countries worldwide. We hope many of these are shared with its neighbouring countries in Latin America and the Caribbean,” Dr Etienne said.

She was speaking during PAHO’s COVID-19 digital briefing today.

Dr Etienne maintained that consequent on limited supplies, vaccine donations “offer us the best chance to fill… gaps… in the short-term”.

She noted that countries across the Americas have consistently reported some of the highest weekly COVID-19 case counts and deaths, pointing out that “our hospitals are full and many patients are not getting the care that they desperately need.”

“Yet, in a region of nearly 700 million people, just 37 million have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. This is completely unacceptable and demonstrates how longstanding inequities are being perpetuated by the slow COVID-19 vaccine rollout,” the Director emphasised.

Dr Etienne expressed the hope that in the coming months, as the global vaccine supply catches up with demand “manufacturers, donors and countries [will] remember the importance of equity”.

“An equitable rollout calls for prioritising people and places at the highest risk and who are experiencing the greatest need, including here in the Americas. We believe that this is a moral imperative,” she contended.

Dr Etienne said that in the interim, public health safety measures continue to be important in bringing the pandemic under “some control” and protecting lives and livelihoods.

These, she reiterated, include adequate and frequent handwashing, physical distancing, and wearing masks in public spaces.

“These are the interventions that are most available to us now and [have] proven [to be] effective,” Dr Etienne said.