Deficiency of COVID vaccine and counterfeit drugs hamper efforts in America | Latin America News

Among the small vaccines, COVID-19 cases have been on the rise in the United States, PAHO officials have said.

Amid the controversy over adequate vaccination against coronavirus in the United States, there are reports of counterfeit breeding on the black market in several countries in the region, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on Wednesday.

“We have received a lot of information from Mexico, Argentina and Brazil that some drugs are offered through television, illegal markets that offer vaccines that are probably fake,” said Jarbas Barbosa, PAHO’s senior assistant at a weekly press conference.

“It’s not a real vaccine or maybe a stolen drug from the hospital that no one can guarantee was properly stored,” Barbosa said.

On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Pfizer had found a fraudulent vaccine in Mexico and Poland. According to reports, 80 Mexicans were drugged at a hospital, paying $ 1,000 each.

According to reports, people who received the fake vaccine were not affected. According to authorities, in Poland a fake vaccine was seized before it could be delivered.

At the third meeting on Wednesday, PAHO Director Carissa Etienne said the agency was also affected by the vaccine crisis. He also said that “false positives and conspiracy theories” were “promoting fear and destroying lives”.

He also said PAHO is working with technology companies to tackle the widespread propaganda of the Internet and social media.

“Because unreliable news is spreading rapidly, PAHO is partnering with technology companies such as Twitter, Google, and Facebook to tackle false news and ensure that people have access to accurate information,” he said.

Reports of false vaccines and shortages of vaccines in the United States came amid a small number of vaccines in the region, as well as an increase in COVID-19 cases.

Brazil has vaccinated 11.6% of the population and Mexico has vaccinated 8.7 percent. Some countries in the region are lagging behind [Ricardo Moraes/Reuters]

“Latin America is an area that is currently in dire need of vaccination,” said Etienne, “and the region should be at the forefront of vaccination.”

“No one will be safe until we are all safe.”

At least half of all deaths worldwide over the weekend he was in the United States, Etienne said, adding that almost all Central American countries are said to be on the rise. Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, said they were the worst affected.

“By the end of this week, the world has reached a catastrophic peak – more than three million people have lost their lives as a result of COVID, and nearly half of those deaths occurred here in the United States,” Etienne said.

Chile sees the valley at times, while Brazil speaks of descent. But despite the decline, Etienne said, cases in Brazil “remain surprisingly large.” Argentina became third in the region in new cases each week. Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia and Uruguay are also seeing growth. And Mexico, after a few weeks of fewer cases on new cases, is seeing a slight increase.

The good news is that after promoting health measures, Chile 🇨🇱 has seen cases, and after several difficult months, Brazil 🇧🇷 has reported fewer cases – including in the Amazon region.

– @DirOPSPAHO #VATIDDA A COVID19

– PAHO / WHO (@pahowho) April 21, 2021

In that region, the United States and Chile have made significant progress in their vaccination efforts – all of which have vaccinated about 40% of the population – according to the World Health Organization.

Uruguay vaccinated more than 30 percent of the population while Brazil has so far vaccinated 11.6 percent and Mexico has vaccinated about 8.7 percent. Some countries in the region are lagging behind.

At the meeting, officials said most countries in the region depend on it global COVAX machines, whose goal is to distribute the vaccine evenly in developing countries.

Etienne said more than 4.2 million vaccines have been distributed here in 29 countries in the United States through COVAX, and more types of drugs are on the way.