PAHO has thrown its resources into helping countries fight the pandemic by providing training, emergency planning, logistical support, and vital equipment and supplies.
Understanding the inequities between nations, we have worked to meet the specific needs of our member countries.
By year's end, 34 countries and territories of the Americas had received 667- tons of protective equipment and diagnostic supplies.
Thanks to more than a century of experience in the Americas, we were able to help countries with logistics and transportation, despite lockdowns and border closings.
We are supporting the establishment of a regional genomics surveillance network to monitor variants in the virus.
PAHO's continuing response has included:
- Established and strengthened laboratory capacity for early detection of the virus
- Deploying teams to assist with infection prevention control
- Providing risk communication training
- Conducting needs assessments with national authorities
- 200 virtual training sessions completed in 33 countries
- Promoting country participation in the COVAX Facility, the only global mechanism working toward equal access to COVID-19 vaccines, regardless of income.
In collaboration with the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, PAHO has trained 31 countries and territories in the Go.Data app*. We think contact tracing is critical for health authorities to keep the spread of the virus under control. Twenty-three countries are already implementing it.
We are doing everything in our power to ensure that while assistance to regional countries increases, human losses do not.
And with our member countries, we are striving to maintain health advances while combating this new disease.
Our mission is to lengthen and improve the quality of people’s lives – leaving no one behind.
*(Go.Data is a tool to support suspect case investigation and management, display of transmission chains, and contact tracing.)
