After more than two years in emergency mode, the PAHO/WHO Country Office of The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands hosted a Virtual End of Year Retreat to rejuvenate, find balance and participate in a virtual ‘Thank You Exchange’. The objectives of the reteat were to foster teambuilding among staff members, achieve consensus on the way forward for returning to a more normal mode of operating and to raise awareness of the importance of self-care...

While experts work to better understand the new WHO-designated “variant of concern,” Omicron, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Carissa F. Etienne, called for increased vaccination and public health measures to ensure the best possible protection against the virus.  

Owing to a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, one psychologist is urging essential workers to prioritize their mental health.

Hospital administration at the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) today announced the implementation of measures to manage the institution’s already strained services as a result of a surge in COVID-19 cases presenting at the Emergency Department. The new measures are designed to reduce the spread of the virus among patients and staff, and to account for an increase in the number of persons having to be admitted, the overwhelming majority of whom are unvaccinated...

Today Haiti received 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines donated by the United States through the COVAX Facility. The country is the fourth in the region to receive these donated shipments, after Honduras, El Salvador and Bolivia, with a total of 4,008,000 doses delivered so far.

Pan American Health Organization Director Carissa F. Etienne provided reassurance about the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines despite circulation in the Americas of new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the disease.
 
“So far, PAHO has found that the impact of variants of concern on the effectiveness of vaccines for COVID-19 has been minimal,” Dr. Etienne told reporters at her weekly media briefing...

(PAHO) Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Carissa F. Etienne today called on national and local authorities in countries at risk for hurricanes to prepare for the 2021 hurricane season. She warned that COVID-19 and the potential devastation of high winds and flooding make preparation even more critical than usual...

“COVID infections continue to surge throughout the Americas,” with more than 1.3 million new cases and 37,000 deaths reported in the region in the last week while cases rise in nearly every country in South America, Pan American Health Organization Director Carissa F. Etienne said today.

Barbados today received 33,600 doses of COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX Facility, a global effort between the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance Gavi, UNICEF, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

- The Bahamas today received 33,600 doses of COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX Facility, a global effort between the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance Gavi, UNICEF, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The arrival marks a historic step toward ensuring the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines worldwide...

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said 32 countries and territories in the Americas have reported the presence of at least one of the three “variants of concern” of the virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, according to a new Epidemiological Update.

On World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, observed today, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) warned that diagnosis of new cases of the disease in the Americas declined by 15% to 20% during 2020 compared to the previous year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The reduction jeopardizes progress toward ending TB in the region.

Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Carissa F. Etienne applauded the arrival of over 2.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines procured through COVAX but warned that the virus is surging dangerously in many countries in the region.

COVAX, the global alliance to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, has helped deliver over 2.2 million doses to the region so far...

PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne welcomed the expansion of the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in the Americas and reported that PAHO is working closely with member countries to “accelerate access” throughout the region.

(PAHO) Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Carissa F. Etienne today called on health ministers and officials in the Americas to work toward eight goals in the digital transformation of public health, including achieving universal connectivity.

With COVAX delivery of new vaccines expected soon in the Americas, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Carissa F. Etienne called for overcoming barriers to ensure “fair and equitable access.”

(PAHO)  A new epidemiological update by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) on COVID-19 documents a 14% increase in cases and a 14% rise in deaths from Jan. 15 to Feb. 8. This increase, however, is lower than in the period from Dec. 11 to Jan. 15.

The document includes a summary of the regional situation and guidance for countries in the region...

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is urging countries in the Americas to make sure they are prepared to roll out COVID-19 vaccines. Information provided voluntarily to PAHO by countries shows important advances, but some gaps remain.

PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne warned that the health, social and economic effects of COVID-19 are disproportionately impacting women and called for heightened attention to the pandemic’s gender disparities.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) donated 4,600 oximeters last week to the Amazonas State Health Department and to the Manaus Municipal Health Department. These devices help monitor the health conditions of patients with COVID-19.