By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT

tsmith-cartwright@tribunemedia.net

THE Pan American Health Organisation is in discussions with many developed nations for excess vaccines they hold to be released to help countries registered with its COVAX programme.

Dr Carissa Etienne, director of PAHO, made the announcement at the organisation’s weekly webinar updating the region on the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The United States has some 60 million vaccines up for grabs while Spain is committed to sending doses to the region through the COVAX Facility, Dr Etienne said.

The vaccines coming from Spain are prioritised for Latin American and Caribbean countries.

“In its commitment, Spain indicated that this donation will be channeled through the COVAX mechanism and prioritising Latin America and the Caribbean,” Dr Etienne said. “PAHO, through a revolving fund, will likely oversee the distribution to our countries, but no specific recipient countries have been identified.

“We continue to be in touch with Spain about the timelines and the quantities that will be donated and once that picture is clearer, PAHO will propose a strategy that is focused on equity, with special consideration to those countries that have had limited access to the vaccines up to this point.”

Countries in need of vaccine shipments, including The Bahamas, are now eyeing the excess doses that America holds.

“We congratulate the United States government for their announcement earlier this week that they will share up to 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine,” the PAHO director said. “We see these commitments as very important steps in the right direction on a trend we hope will be followed by other countries that can donate. In fact we urge other countries to make similar commitments.

“No vaccines should be sitting in warehouses when they can be promptly used to save lives. PAHO is ready and able to quickly deploy vaccines to countries in our region that have been heavily impacted by the pandemic and are now struggling to access more doses. We enthusiastically welcome this type of commitment from other countries that have secured more doses than they can use. We have stressed the acute needs of our region.”

Health Minister Renward Wells said on Tuesday officials have petitioned the United States to give The Bahamas some of its Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines.

As PAHO continues to negotiate vaccines with many developed countries, it recognises that its member states have demonstrated the capacity to effectively deliver these vaccines to help protect the healthcare workers and vulnerable populations.

Dr Etienne said over the past week, more than 1.4 million people became infected with COVID in our region and more than 36,000 died from COVID-related complications. In fact, she said, one in four COVID deaths reported worldwide last week took place in the Americas.

“Since the beginning of 2021, several countries in our region are reporting an increase in cases in the younger population, linked to increased exposure and no vaccination in these groups,” she continued. “This has led to an increase in hospitalisations.

“The hospital stay of these age groups is usually greater compared to those over the age of 60, so PAHO is orienting our countries to plan on coping with sudden increases in the consumption of critical inputs such as oxygen, intubation drugs, personal protective equipment and infusion pumps.”

According to PAHO, Canada’s infection rates have surpassed US figures for the first time in the pandemic. And cases are also surging across the Caribbean as Guadeloupe, Martinique, and The Bahamas are reporting new spikes.

“It’s no surprise then that many countries in our region have tightened public health measures by extending curfews, limiting re-openings, and imposing new stay-at-home orders,” she said. “These decisions are never easy, but based on how infections are surging, this is exactly what needs to happen. We know these measures work and I commend leaders across our region for putting health first.”

Giving an update on vaccine distribution in the region, Dr Etienne said as of this week, more than 317 million COVID vaccine doses have been administered across 49 countries and territories.

“Of these, nearly seven million have been purchased via COVAX and another 470,000 are en route to Guatemala, Bolivia and Jamaica,” she explained.

In the next few weeks, countries should receive their second COVAX shipments. And while doses remain limited, most countries should see a considerable increase in doses from the first wave.

“Based on the allocation criteria established by the COVAX Facility, nine countries in our region are starting the second deployment, to be followed by the others in the same sequence as for the first deployment. Nearly seven million COVID vaccines will be arriving in these countries between May-June.”

She said the first COVAX shipments were an important opportunity to troubleshoot issues before deliveries accelerate.

The Bahamas is expected to receive its second COVAX shipment in May.