Updates & Emerging Issues

How effective is your mask?

What can you do to make your mask as effective as possible? As COVID-19 infections continue to rise in our Region, it is important to RECOMMIT to handwashing, social distancing and, of course, wearing a mask. Watch the PANCAP video:

Airborne Coronavirus Is a Threat, the C.D.C. Acknowledges

Federal health officials on Friday updated public guidance about how the coronavirus spreads, emphasizing that transmission occurs by inhaling very fine respiratory droplets and aerosolized particles, as well as through contact with sprayed droplets or touching contaminated hands to one’s mouth, nose or eyes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now states explicitly —

Single dose of Pfizer-BioNTech or Oxford-AstraZenca vaccine reduces infection rate by 65%, study finds

LONDON — A single dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine drastically reduces the risk of infection in adults of all ages, British researchers have found. Two studies released on Friday analyzed more than 1.6 million nose and throat swabs taken from 373,402 people between December and April. The data was collected as part of

PAHO warns against getting COVID-19 vaccines outside of official channels

Vaccines not procured through government purchases from certified providers and offered by authorized national immunization circuits are presumed to be counterfeit and dangerous to health. Washington, DC, April 22, 2021 (PAHO)- The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) urges people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 only through national immunization programs and officially authorized mechanisms and warns that

On World Health Day, PAHO Director calls for equitable pandemic recovery in the Americas

The pandemic has driven between 119 and 124 million more people globally into extreme poverty last year. Fourteen years of gains in the fight against poverty have been lost. Washington, D.C., April 7, 2021 (PAHO) – On World Health Day, observed today, Pan American Health Organization Director Carissa F. Etienne said that COVID-19 has exposed

Why you can’t compare Covid-19 vaccines

What a vaccine’s “efficacy rate” actually means. In the US, the first two available Covid-19 vaccines were the ones from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. Both vaccines have very high “efficacy rates,” of around 95%. But the third vaccine introduced in the US, from Johnson & Johnson, has a considerably lower efficacy rate: just 66%. Look at

Jamaica becomes first country in the Caribbean to receive COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX Facility

Fifteen Caribbean countries will receive just over 2.1 million doses of COVAX vaccines by May, according to allocation figures provided for the first round Kingston, Jamaica, March 15, 2021 (PAHO/WHO)- Jamaica today received 14,400 doses of COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX Facility, a global effort between the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the

COVID-19 vaccine rollout expanded in the Americas, PAHO Director reports

“Nearly 2.3 million COVAX doses will arrive in at least seven countries in our region in the next days and weeks.” Washington, D.C., March 10, 2021 (PAHO) – 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

CARPHA head praises Caricom leaders in covid19 fight

CARIBBEAN Public Health Agency (CARPHA) executive director Dr Joy St John on Monday praised Caricom heads of government for leading the region’s charge to protect its people against the ravages of the covid19 pandemic and ensure equitable access to covid19 vaccines. Among the leaders praised by St John were the Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister,