Saturday, September 30, 2023
Village Voice News
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Home
  • News
  • Sports
  • Editorial
  • Letters
  • Global
  • Columns
    • Eye On Guyana
    • Hindsight
    • Lincoln Lewis Speaks
    • Future Notes
    • Blackout
    • From The Desk of Roysdale Forde SC
    • Diplomatic Speak
    • Mark’s Take
    • In the village
    • Mind Your Business
    • Bad & Bold
    • The Voice of Labour
    • The Herbal Section
    • Politics 101 with Dr. David Hinds
    • Talking Dollars & Making Sense
    • Book Review 
  • Education & Technology
  • E-Paper
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Sports
  • Editorial
  • Letters
  • Global
  • Columns
    • Eye On Guyana
    • Hindsight
    • Lincoln Lewis Speaks
    • Future Notes
    • Blackout
    • From The Desk of Roysdale Forde SC
    • Diplomatic Speak
    • Mark’s Take
    • In the village
    • Mind Your Business
    • Bad & Bold
    • The Voice of Labour
    • The Herbal Section
    • Politics 101 with Dr. David Hinds
    • Talking Dollars & Making Sense
    • Book Review 
  • Education & Technology
  • E-Paper
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
Village Voice News
No Result
View All Result
Home News

‘Too soon to lower our guard on Covid’

Staff Reporter by Staff Reporter
March 13, 2022
in News
Pan American Health Organization Director Carissa F. Etienne

Pan American Health Organization Director Carissa F. Etienne

0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Support Village Voice News With a Donation of Your Choice.

—warns PAHO Director as pandemic reaches two-year mark

Washington D.C., 9 March 2022 (PAHO) – As the world reaches two-years since COVID-19 was characterized as a pandemic, and public health measures are being lifted in many parts of the Americas, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Carissa F. Etienne warns countries that it is too soon to lower their guard.

READ ALSO

Infectious Disease Hospital marks three years

International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste Reduction

“When places relax measures at the wrong moment, transmission spikes dangerously and we lose more lives,” Dr. Etienne said in a media briefing last Wednesday, urging countries to base decisions on risk assessments and health data, and to tighten public health guidance if cases go up.

“COVID-19 is likely to be here to stay. We must learn to live with this virus, and quickly adapt to new changes,” the PAHO Director added. Reflecting on the past two years of the pandemic, Dr. Etienne said that the Americas has been hit harder than any other region in the world, with more than 2.6 million lives lost – half of all global deaths. “This is a tragedy of enormous proportions, and its effects will be felt for years to come,” the PAHO Director added.

Advertisement

She also warned that “the pandemic is still a threat today,” with countries experiencing record numbers of new infections during the Omicron wave, and the Americas accounting for 63% of new global cases in the first two months of 2022 alone. “

“We all want the pandemic to be over, but optimism alone cannot control the virus,” she said, calling for countries to keep a “finger on the pulse.” Countries must build on lessons from the past two years to prepare for quick action and adjust public health guidance if a new variant emerges or outbreaks happen – by ensuring continued surveillance and by making testing readily available even when transmission is low. The PAHO Director also called for countries to address the inequities that have been exacerbated by the pandemic, highlighting that in Latin America and the Caribbean, 248 million people have yet to receive a single dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, particularly those in hard to reach, rural areas and underserved communities.

“Our wins against COVID-19 show us what is possible when we work together and use the tools we know are effective,” Dr. Etienne said, referencing the advances made in the fight against COVID-19 in the past year, such as public health measures to slow the spread, safe vaccines and better treatment options. Turning to the COVID-19 situation in the region, the Director reported that COVID-19 cases declined by 26% across the Americas in the last week and deaths also dropped by nearly 19%.

However, possible reductions in testing mean that the number of reported cases may not accurately reflect the situation in some countries. Despite the overall decline in cases and deaths in the region, new cases increased by 2.2% in the Caribbean. Bolivia and Puerto Rico also reported an increase in deaths over the past week.



Support Village Voice News With a Donation of Your Choice



ShareTweetSendShareSend

Related Posts

News

Infectious Disease Hospital marks three years

by Admin
September 29, 2023

Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) is proud to commemorate the third anniversary of the Ocean View Infectious Disease Hospital, which...

Read more
USDA Photo
News

International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste Reduction

by Admin
September 29, 2023

By Mark DaCosta- Regarding today's observance among others – on September 29, 2023 -- the United Nations (UN) has released...

Read more
News

The Sister Hazel Campayne Block at the St Rose’s High School was on Tuesday commissioned by the Honourable Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand.

by Admin
September 29, 2023

The Sister Hazel Campayne Block at the St Rose’s High School was on Tuesday commissioned by the Honourable Minister of...

Read more
Next Post
(L-R) Vanessa Kissoon- Candidate for President- GTU and Coretta McDonald- GTU General Secretary- seeking re-election

Can Vanessa Kissoon & Coretta McDonald take the Teachers' Union?

EDITOR'S PICK

IAAD Secretary Lelon Saul

PPP running scared Guyanese logged complaint with US Vice President

November 29, 2022

Guyana Elections (1997- 2015) and Present Voters List (Pt I)

September 25, 2022

South Sudan’s children fight for education like you’ve never seen before

July 31, 2021
Vincent Alexander

OP-ED | International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, March 25.

April 4, 2022

© 2022 Village Voice | Developed by Ink Creative Agency

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Sports
  • Editorial
  • Letters
  • Global
  • Columns
    • Eye On Guyana
    • Hindsight
    • Lincoln Lewis Speaks
    • Future Notes
    • Blackout
    • From The Desk of Roysdale Forde SC
    • Diplomatic Speak
    • Mark’s Take
    • In the village
    • Mind Your Business
    • Bad & Bold
    • The Voice of Labour
    • The Herbal Section
    • Politics 101 with Dr. David Hinds
    • Talking Dollars & Making Sense
    • Book Review 
  • Education & Technology
  • E-Paper
  • Contact Us

© 2022 Village Voice | Developed by Ink Creative Agency