PAHO Reports Decline In COVID Infections, Deaths Across Americas

Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) member countries, including several Caribbean states, have been recording declines in  coronavirus (COVID-19) infections and deaths.

Assistant Director, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa da Silva Jr., said that more than 745,000 new infections and just over 18,000 deaths were reported across North and Latin America and the Caribbean during the last week.

“This is the eighth consecutive week that overall cases have declined in the region,” he informed during PAHO’s weekly COVID-19 digital media briefing on Wednesday (November 3).

Dr. Barbosa indicated that in addition to the fall in infections and deaths, Canada and the United States of America (USA) recorded notable decreases in hospitalisations.

Additionally, he said that similar declines have been occurring across most Central American countries, noting that following weeks of persistent outbreaks in Belize, that nation recorded a nearly 20 per cent decrease in confirmed cases and 60 per cent reduction in deaths.

Dr. Barbosa further advised that the same trends are present in much of South America, “save for a few exceptions that we are monitoring closely”, while adding that cases and deaths are falling or remaining stable throughout a significant portion of the Caribbean.

He pointed out, however, that Barbados continues to report its highest number of COVID-related infections and deaths since the start of the pandemic, “and there are concerning shortages of hospital capacity in the Dominican Republic, and Trinidad and Tobago”.

“The progress in our region is not reason to become complacent or discontinue the public health measures that help keep us safe – quite the opposite. The decline in cases and deaths show that our approach [through public health measures and vaccinations] is working.

“The pandemic is still with us; we cannot fall into a false sense of security that the COVID-19 pandemic is over. It is critical for all of us to stay the course until everyone is vaccinated and protected from the virus,” Dr. Barbosa emphasised.