UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

08/04/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/04/2021 04:27

Covid-19 and vaccination in Latin America and the Caribbean: challenges, needs and opportunities

The evidence shows that in populations living in poverty and in ethnic communities, there is a higher prevalence of Covid-19, and a higher risk of mortality, regardless of age and the existence of comorbidities. However, these populations have not been prioritized in vaccination plans in all cases.

Countries could identify those populations in vulnerable situations and the barriers they have to access vaccination. Thus, it should be prioritized based on epidemiological risk and include equity criteria, based on ethical and human rights standards, contemplating groups traditionally excluded and strongly affected by the pandemic, as well as those groups of people whose participation in society is important to guarantee that other people can access health, education, food, among other fundamental rights.

For its part, the production of vaccines against Covid-19 in the region is still not enough and makes it dependent on production in other regions of the world. Only three countries are partial or total producers of some of the coronavirus vaccines, in certain cases designed to help supply the region, but in insufficient numbers for today's needs.

At the same time, some countries are making very important efforts in the research and development of vaccines against the coronavirus originating from the region, which are in different phases.

It is recommended that countries support these projects and those that may arise in the future to avoid international dependence, especially considering the rate of contagion despite vaccination and the possibility of needing reinforcements in vaccination in the coming years.