Bridgetown, Barbados, 31December 2020 (PAHO/WHO) - The COVID-19 pandemic has brought distress and suffering to every communities and islands in the Eastern Caribbean and Barbados as seen all over the world. It has been a very brutal year for all of us.
The pandemic has disrupted our way of living and human relations -affected the social, economic, and environmental issues, health conditions of all nations and people. It has led many persons into extreme poverty as it has decimated jobs, and livelihoods. The lock downs, restrictions of movements, closure of borders and suspension of international travel and importation of goods resulting long term impact on mental and physical health of the population at large. The COVID-19 pandemic has drawn attention to the deep disparities that persist between and within countries, some of which are being exacerbated and risk widening even further.
The governments and leadership in the Eastern Caribbean Countries acted with speed and determination to delay the arrival and to stop the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus very early. I am immensely happy for the poised and decisive leadership and contributions to the global COVID-19 response made by our member states.
I am proud of the contributions of PAHO/WHO as key partners and lead international public health agencies in the pandemic response. Our technical cooperation priorities focused in three major areas:
- Saving lives,
- Protecting health care workers,
- Preventing and stopping the spread of the virus.
We collaborated in multiple fronts, from responding to the main pandemic related health crisis, to maintaining our focus on essential public health functions.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have ensured mobilizing resources, procured essential medical supplies and distributed diagnostic tests, biomedical and personal protective equipment. We worked closely with bilateral and multilateral agencies and donor countries by building partnership in unprecedented ways.
Taking into account the limited quantity of COVID-19 vaccines currently available and, hence, the imperative need to prioritize the vaccination of those groups of the population that are essential for sustaining the response to the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g. health care workers involved in clinical care and first responders), and those at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 illness (e.g. the elderly or individuals with underlying clinical conditions). The corresponding national authorities have the ultimate decision of who should receive the vaccine in their countries.
But our work in fighting the pandemic is not complete. Success will be measured by, among other things, whether safe and effective vaccines are shared equitably with all people at risk. This must remain our focus as we enter the New Year.
In 2021, we will build on the many advances we have made, driven by the goals of keeping people safe, serving the vulnerable and promoting healthier lives.
The COVID-19 pandemic is a global crisis which has touched every person in the world in some way or the other and it is far from over. Response to the COVID pandemic must be collective, “no one is safe until everyone is safe”. We need to be prepared to have vaccine to be added in our global effort.
Happy New Year and wishing you all health, happiness and hope.
