Washington: The director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Carissa Etienne, warned this Tuesday that in the last week the infections and deaths from COVID-19 in the region of the Americas had doubled.
TeleSur reports that Etienne commented that on July 1 there were 5.3 million infections and this Monday, August 24, more than 12 million 500 thousand confirmed cases and around 450 thousand deaths due to the pandemic have been recorded in the American continent.
Meanwhile, she expressed concern about the high prevalence of the virus in young people and pointed out that it is this age group that is mainly driving the spread of the disease in our region.
Likewise, she expressed concern about the increase in infections in the Caribbean region. Countries like Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago and the US Virgin Islands have reported an increase in infections for two weeks.
“We know that countries that depend on tourism cannot remain closed indefinitely, but as they reopen, they must use all available resources to reduce the risk to their population”, Etienne commented on the situation in the Antilles.
The health authority also referred to the fact that the United States, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Argentina and Mexico are among the ten countries with the highest number of infections in the world. On Chile, on the other hand, she explained that for six weeks their authorities have been reporting fewer cases.
“This virus is going to be with us for some time. Without a vaccine, it will be with us for years. This will not be a war that we will win in a single battle, but there will be many battles that we will have to fight. That is why we need to apply the teachings of the places where the virus has been controlled and let the data guide our actions”, she added.