Expressing concern over the burden on regional health care systems in its latest report, PAHO says that insufficient oxygen supplies have been affecting health systems in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Dominica.
Over the past week, new COVID-19 cases in St Vincent and the Grenadines has topped Eastern Caribbean countries, followed by St Lucia and Antigua and Barbuda.
PAHO said: “In the last seven days the increase in the number of cases is led by Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (231.8 per cent representing 282 new cases), and Saint Lucia (36.2 per cent, 872) and Antigua and Barbuda (74.2 per cent).”
“The COVID-19 deaths and seven-day moving average continued to increase in new deaths resulting in a a 300 per cent increase in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 78 per cent increase in Saint Lucia and an average five deaths per day as of September 16.
Grenada is also reporting an increase of 25.9 per cent regarding the number of deaths (26 new deaths).
Nearly 8,000 confirmed new COVID-19 cases have been reported over the last three weeks of September 2021 with a 52 per cent increase from 4,231 cases in the month of August 2021 from Barbados and six Eastern Caribbean countries – Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), PAHO said.
Between 83 per cent and 95 per cent of unvaccinated people account for the rise in infections, according to the western hemisphere’s regional office of the World Health Organisation.
PAHO has begun to focus its concern on the high number of cases among children up to age 18 years old, with 15-25 per cent of children under the age 18 accounting for new reported cases, “driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant of concern”.
The health agency warned that the high level of positivity rate suggests that the real number of infected people is higher than what they are seeing.
PAHO has gave an assurance it would continue to provide test kits and other laboratory supplies, oxygen concentrators and Information Technology equipment to the region’s health care systems.
Emergency medical teams have been also deployed from Mexico and Spain to Grenada and Dominica respectively, it said.