COVID-19 Cases Trending Down In Some Member States – PAHO

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) says despite the numbers still being very high, coronavirus (COVID-19) cases and hospitalisations are beginning to decrease in some member countries.

Speaking during PAHO’s weekly COVID-19 digital media briefing on Wednesday (February 9), Director, Dr. Carissa Etienne, said cases decreased by 31 per cent relative to the previous week.

Conversely, however, she said deaths increased by 13 per cent, with higher spikes in sections of Central and South America.

“Last week, we saw more than 4.8 million new cases and over 33,000 deaths in our region,” the Director pointed out.

Dr. Etienne informed that new infections and deaths decreased in the United States (US), Canada and Mexico. She further advised that hospitalisations and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions decreased in the US and Canada.

The Director said while the Caribbean is also seeing a slowing in new cases, except for a few countries, deaths continue to climb, rising as much as 88 per cent in one island.

Dr. Etienne said similar fluctuating trends for cases and infections, hospitalisations and deaths are also being reported across Central America and in parts of South America.

“When we look closer, one trend stands out, and that is countries with higher vaccination coverage are seeing lower ICU admissions and deaths. This emphasises the importance of expanding access to vaccines – including boosters, where available – to save lives,” she emphasised.