44 Percent of Latin Americans Are Fully Vaccinated: PAHO

On Wednesday, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Assistant Director Jarbas Barbosa said that nearly 44 percent of people in Latin America and the Caribbean are fully vaccinated.

Related

WHO Says Pandemic Will Last Longer Due to Vaccine Apartheid

Infections and deaths have reached their lowest levels in more than a year, with 800,000 new COVID-19 cases and 18,000 related deaths reported over the last week. Not every country, however, has this downwards tread. 

Mexico, Cuba, Uruguay, and Chile have over 70 percent of their population partially or fully vaccinated. Cuba is also the first country to implement a childhood vaccination program.

So far, less than 20 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated in countries such as Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Haiti, Jamaica, Nicaragua, and Guatemala.

“While our region has done a great job at accelerating immunization coverage over just a few months, more than half of people remain unprotected,” Barbosa said and pointed out that vaccine inequity remains one of the biggest challenges.

Currently, the richest developed countries control 39 percent of the vaccines available on the market despite having only 13 percent of the world's population. 

To avoid dependence on international markets, Cuba opted to develop its own COVID-19 vaccines. Nicaragua, Venezuela, Argentina, and Mexico have chosen to increase their vaccination rate by either using or producing Sputnik V or Sinovac.