About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline

LOG IN
LOG IN


1 1 (March 12, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/govecqd0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Updated March 12,2021 Latin America and the Caribbean: Impact of COVID-19 The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is having widespread economic, social, and political effects on Latin America and the Caribbean. As of March 9, 2021, the region had over 22 million confirmed cases (18.9% of cases worldwide) and almost 704,000 deaths (26.9% of deaths worldwide). Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, and Peru had the highest numbers of deaths in the region, and Brazil and Mexico had highest death tolls worldwide after the United States. The regional rankings change when examining deaths per 100,000-using this measurement, Mexico had the highest rate in the region, followed by Pem, Panama, Brazil, and Colombia (see Table 1). A University of WashingtonCOVID-19 projection model (updated Mach 6, 2021) forecast deaths in the region could reach over 885,000 by July 1, 2021. On March 10, 2021, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reported on the surge ofinfections and deaths in Brazil due to a new, more transmissible variantof the virus. World Health Organization officials expressed concerns that neighboring countries could be affected unless Brazil takes aggressive health measures. PAHO also notedrising infections in Paraguay, Uruguay, and Chile and declining infections in Mexico and Central America, except in some areas of Guatemala and Panama. In the Caribbean, PAHO described a mixed picture, with infections falling in some countries andrising in others, including Cubaandthe Bahamas. PAHOhas played a majorrole in supporting countries in their pandemic responses. When the pandemic began to surge in the region in May 2020, PAHO Director Dr. Caris s a Etienne expressed concern about the poor and other vulnerable groups at greatestrisk, including those living in the Amazon Basin, particularly indigenous communities; women, who make up 70% of the health workforce in the Americas; people of African descent; migrants in temporaty settlements; and pris oners in crowdedjails. The rollout of vaccines in the region has been slow, with some exceptions; there is concern that widespread vaccine acces s in some countries could be delayed until 2022. As of March 9, according to the New York Times vaccine tracker, Chile was the leader in the region, with almost 23% of its population having had at least one dose; the Chilean government aims to vaccinate 80% of its population byJuly 2021. As of March 9, Barbados had 17% with at least one dose and Dominica had 10%, with both countries receiving donations fromIndia. Remaining countries in the region have vaccinated less than 5% of their population, with most countries having les s than 1% vaccinated. PAHO has helped countries prepare for a vaccine rollout and facilitated access to vaccines through the COVAX ttps ://crs reps Facility, a mechanismdeveloped byglobalhealth organizations for pooled procurement and distribution of vaccines; 22 countries in the region have s igned agreements to access vaccines through the facility. In addition, 10 countries in the region-Bolivia, Dominica, El Salvador, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines-are eligible to benefit fromthe COVID-19 Vaccines Advance Market Commitment (COVAX AMC), launched by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to provide donor-fundedvaccines for low- and middle-income economies worldwide. Table 1. COVID-19 Cases, Deaths, and Mortality Rates in Latin American/Caribbean (LAC) Countries (countries with more than 2,000 deaths, as of March 9, 2021) Country Cases Deaths Deaths per (millions) 100,000 Brazil 11.122 268,370 128.12 Mexico 2.138 191,789 151.98 Colombia 2.282 60,676 122.21 Argentina 2.162 53,352 119.68 Peru 1.380 48,163 150.56 Chile .864 21,182 113.10 Ecuador .295 16,069 94.06 Bolivia .246 11,858 104.45 Guatemala .180 6,493 37.65 Panama .346 5,944 142.31 Honduras .175 4,297 44.82 Paraguay .172 3,360 48.30 Dom. Rep. .244 3,191 30.03 Costa Rica .208 2,848 56.97 Total LAC 22.254 703,852 - United States 29.095 527,643 161.28 Source: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Coronavirus Resou rce Center, MortalityAnalyses, March 10, 2021 , u pdated daily, at https://coronavirus.jh u.ed u/data/mortality. On March 1, Colombia became the first country in the region to receive vaccines through COVAX; the region is expected to receive 27.8 million doses in a first distribution round throughMay 2021. Many countries in the region also have signed commercial agreements with pharmaceutical companies, and severalcountries have begun to use Chinese and Russian vaccines. Cuba is making progress on a vaccine it is developing. .congress.gov