PAHO Welcomes US Donation of 19 Million COVID-19 Vaccines

Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Carissa Etienne welcomed U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to donate COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX facility.

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“This pandemic is far from over, and it is hitting Latin America and the Caribbean severely... Yet only about 8 percent of our citizens have been vaccinated,” Etienne warned, adding that the region should be an epicenter for vaccination since it is a hotspot of COVID-19 cases.

The PAHO director made a call on other countries with a surplus in vaccine stocks to also donate doses in order to support global vaccination campaigns.

The U.S. government plans to donate 25 million COVID-19 doses, including 19 million to the COVAX mechanism. Approximately, 6 million doses will be delivered to South and Central American nations and Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries.

So far, the World Health Organization (WHO) has delivered some 18.9 million vaccines to 31 countries in the Americas.

“Effective vaccines are a beacon of hope in this crisis, and we must do all in our power to secure more doses for all nations in the Americas. Regional solidarity, including the donation of vaccine doses, will be key to get us through the current shortage of supply," Etienne noted. 

As of Tuesday morning, PAHO had reported more than 68 million COVID-19 cases and over 1 million related fatalities in the region.