While Barbados records a significant drop in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) is reporting that the number of cases in the Caribbean is on the rise.
It said on Wednesday that cases increased by 16 per cent over the last week.
“Trinidad and Tobago continues to report an increase in cases, and while Barbados and the Cayman Islands have reported large numbers of cases, these are now decreasing,” PAHO said, as it reported that the wider region of the Americas has now surpassed 100 million cases of COVID-19
The international health organisation also noted that the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus continues to spread and has now been reported in 19 countries and territories in the Americas, including Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin and Trinidad and Tobago.
It has therefore continued to recommend vaccination and public health measures to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19 and halt the transmission of the virus, including wearing masks, maintaining physical distance from others, frequent hand washing, and avoiding crowded spaces, especially indoors.
“These measures are effective against all variants, including Omicron,” PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne said. “Countries should sustain their public health measures to limit transmission of the virus and adjust them according to local transmission risks.”
In terms of COVID-19 vaccine distribution, over 868 million doses have been administered in Latin America and the Caribbean. To date, about 57.3 per cent of the population in that region has completed their COVID-19 vaccination schedules.
While PAHO projects that most countries in the region will have reached or surpassed the WHO target of vaccinating 40 per cent of their eligible populations by the end of 2021, current estimates are that Haiti, Jamaica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia and Grenada may not attain that goal. (DP)
