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June 12, 2021 

Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Carissa F. Etienne has  called attention to the slow rate of COVID-19 vaccination in Latin America and the Caribbean.

And she has warned  that controlling the virus will take years if current trends persist.

“Today we’re seeing the emergence of two worlds: one quickly returning to normal, and another where recovery remains a distant future,” Dr. Etienne told journalists at her weekly media briefing.

While the United States has fully vaccinated more than 40 percent of its population, she said, the pace is much slower in Latin America and the Caribbean.

According to Etienne, some countries – including Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia – have vaccinated only about 3% of their populations.

In Central America, only 2 million people have been fully vaccinated.

Meanwhile, in the Caribbean, the figure is less than 3 million.

However, in some countries, including Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago, and Honduras, not even 1% of the population has been vaccinated.

“The inequities in vaccination coverage are undeniable,” Dr. Etienne said.

“Unfortunately, vaccine supply is concentrated in a few nations while most of the world waits for doses to trickle out. Although COVID-19 vaccines are new, this story isn’t—inequality has too often dictated who has the right to health,” the PAHO Director observed.

As a result, she warned that if current trends continue, the health, social and economic disparities in the region will grow even larger.

“And it will be years before we control this virus in the Americas,” Etienne declared.