Over 1 million coronavirus-related deaths in Latin America, the Caribbean
Washington DC, May 22 (EFE).- The coronavirus-related death toll in Latin America and the Caribbean has exceeded one million people, Pan American Health Organization Director Carissa F Etienne has said.
“More than one million lives have been cut short because of Covid-19. This is a tragic milestone for everyone in the region,” Etienne said last night.
“This pandemic is far from over, and it is hitting Latin America and the Caribbean severely, affecting our health, our economies, and entire societies,” she added.
She lamented that only 3% of Latin America and the Caribbean’s population have been fully vaccinated and that most of the region depends on fluctuations in global stocks to receive jabs.
“According to figures reported by countries as of May 21, 2021, some 1,001,781 people have died as a result of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Latin America and the Caribbean,” the organization said in a statement.
“Almost 89% of the deaths occurred in five countries: Brazil (44.3%), México (22.1%), Colombia (8.3%), Argentina (7.3) and Peru (6.7%). Three percent of the deaths were concentrated in Central America and 1% in the Caribbean,” it added.
“The region is an epicenter for Covid-19 suffering. It should be an epicenter for vaccination, too,” Etienne said.
Over 153.5 million people have been inoculated in the Americas, 21.6 percent of which are in Latin America and the Caribbean. EFE
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