![paho](https://antiguanewsroom.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/paho.png)
Low vaccination coverage in many countries of the Caribbean must be urgently addressed to stop the spread of COVID-19 and protect the most vulnerable, warned PAHO Director, Carissa F. Etienne, with health care workers and the elderly remaining particularly at risk.
Out of the 13 countries and territories in the Americas that have not yet reached WHO’s 2021 goal of 40% vaccination coverage, 10 are in the Caribbean, she said at a media briefing today.
Vaccine hesitancy, a lack of vaccination centers in remote areas, insufficient staff numbers, and limited cold-chain infrastructure remain huge barriers to vaccination in many islands, but we now have the tools “to turn the tide on vaccinations in the Caribbean.”
With 700 million people now vaccinated in Latin America and the Caribbean, there are “real-word data to show that vaccines are safe and effective against COVID-19,” the PAHO Director said. But interventions must now be tailored to the needs of those that remain vulnerable in each country.
In some countries, this means ensuring that health care workers are provided with the information they need to get vaccinated, including on potential side effects and how long the benefits of the vaccine last.
“These are legitimate questions that must be acknowledged and addressed so that we can better protect our health care workers and everyone else,” Dr. Etienne said.
In other countries, PAHO is working with governments to ensure that vaccination centers are closer to the people who need them the most, and that hours of operation are convenient for those that work.
The Director also urged countries to work with trusted voices and community leaders to create spaces for dialogue to address concerns around vaccination.
A recent survey by PAHO and UNICEF, supported by USAID, showed that 51% of vaccine hesitant people in the Eastern Caribbean were open to changing their minds after seeing more scientific and medical evidence to support vaccination.
“Dialogue, trust and outreach are the tools we must rely on to get more vaccines into arms and ultimately save lives,” the Director said.
Dr. Etienne also made a special appeal – “As a doctor from the Caribbean who has dedicated her life to public health, the best decision you can make for your health right now is to get a vaccine against COVID,” she said.
“The pandemic is not over, and a new variant can emerge at any point.”
“We have the power as a community to overcome these barriers and reduce the toll of this virus on our people.”
Turning to the COVID-19 situation in the region, new cases declined by 28% from the previous week, to 2.2 million. Deaths also fell for the first time since the beginning of the Omicron wave to 29,000 – a 9% drop.
Overall cases dropped by a third across North America, and while deaths declined in the United States, the rates remain among the highest seen during the pandemic.
With the exception of Honduras, deaths also dropped by 17% in Central America though Nicaragua experienced a surge in new infections.
In South America, deaths decreased by 13%, with spikes remaining in some areas, including Chile.
In the Caribbean, new infections fell by 44%, yet eight countries and territories reported an increase in deaths.
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I wondered when this paid up Bill Gates shill would re-emerge again with her misinformation.
PLEASE GIVE UP THIS UTTER NONSENSE NOW, OR HAVEN’T YOU NOTICED THAT THE VACCINE NARRATIVE IS COLLAPSING GLOBALLY …
Dr. Jane Ruby – CDC Hiding Study Data, Crimes and Collusion with Big Pharma!
The entire establishment is one big elitist club. It’s the wealthiest billionaires, corporatists, whom control the greedy politicians and bureaucrats. They all feed off each other. It’s one incestuous filthy criminal cabal.
https://rumble.com/vvpctv-dr.-jane-ruby-live-cdc-hiding-study-data-crimes-and-collusion-with-big-phar.html?mref=5epkv&mc=a8s5n
Absolutely right Angel, I have been saying this from day one, and it is so good that the tide is turning because people are doing their own research, and realising SOMETHING IS NOT SITTING RIGHT …
Carissa F. Etienne is a complete friggin idiot. The science and all the virologists have already agreed and confirmed vaccines do not and will not stop anyone from getting the omicron variant which has completely replaced the delta variant. Getting vaccinated will not stop the spread of omicron. It has been proven by the virologists.
Instead of spreading fake medical information, Carissa F. Etienne should go back to school or consult with a virologist on the matter at hand instead of spewing a bunch of inaccurate information. Stop the vaccine push mandates and the poison they want to put in our bodies.
As with any doctor, Carissa F. Etienne needs to be well informed before spreading a bunch of lies to the general public
Unfortunately vaccines do not stop the spread, see Israel for example. Why even make such statements at this point? Please let people make their own informed choices and move on with their lives. God Bless.
Wait this woman crazy or just wicked?
Guess she was under a rock when W.H.O issued a statement basically saying to stop mandatory vaccinations and it’s time for the makers of vaccines 💉 to come up with a vaccine that eradicates COVID-19. What a idiot, low vaccinations rate needs to be addressed to stop spread. Check your records and see how vaccinated tested positive for COVID-19? Lady crawl back under your rock
Stop the spread is the biggest lie ever told pertaining to this experimental gene therapy
Who is this fool?
PAHO Director, Carissa F. Etienne is a liar. This will become clear to EVERYONE when the vaccinated begin dying in large numbers.
Your boss Bill Gates said Omicron is a vaccine. Go back in your hole.
Pfizer deliberately excluded pregnant women from the trials. They never went back and did a trial on them. Next thing I hear this woman saying the shots are safe for pregnant women…with no safety data
While we’re on it…Pfizer withdrew their application for emergency use authorization in India because India wants them to do additional trials to prove their shot is safe.
Mental slavery is the worst form of slavery. It gives you the illusion of freedom, makes you trust, love and defend your oppressor while making an enemy of those who are trying to free you or open your eyes.
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