Amid a limited amount of vaccines, COVID-19 cases have increased in America, PAHO officials said.
Amid a scramble to secure enough coronavirus vaccines in the Americas, there are reports of fake doses spreading on the black market in several countries in the region, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on Wednesday.
“We have received information from Mexico, Argentina and Brazil that some doses have been offered via social media, illegal markets offering vaccines that are likely to be counterfeit,” Jarbas Barbosa, assistant director of PAHO, said during a weekly news conference.
“These are not real vaccines, or maybe they are stolen doses from a health institution that no one can guarantee are stored properly,” Barbosa said.
A woman receiving a dose of AstraZeneca vaccine during a vaccination day in Duque de Caxias near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil [Ricardo Moraes/Reuters]
The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Pfizer has identified counterfeit vaccines in Mexico and Poland. According to the report, 80 people in Mexico were stopped in a clinic with fake doses, after paying $ 1,000 per dose.
According to the report, the people who received the fake vaccines were not harmed. According to authorities, in Poland, the fake vaccines were seized before they were administered.
During Wednesday’s news conference, Carissa Etienne, director of PAHO, said the organization was also concerned about the vaccine being hesitant. She said “treacherous rumors and conspiracy theories” cost fear and lives.
She said PAHO is working with technology companies to tackle misinformation that is growing rapidly on the internet and on social media sites.
“Because unreliable information spreads rapidly, PAHO works with technology companies such as Twitter, Google and Facebook to address false news and ensure that the public can easily find accurate information,” she said.
The reports of fake vaccines and vaccine hesitation in the Americas were amid a scarce supply of vaccines in the region and an increasing number of COVID-19 cases.
Brazil has so far vaccinated 11.6 percent of its population and Mexico has vaccinated 8.7 percent. Other countries in the region lag behind [Ricardo Moraes/Reuters]
“Latin America is the region that currently has the greatest need for vaccines,” Etienne said, “this region should be prioritized for the distribution of vaccines.”
“No one will be safe until we are all safe.”
Nearly half of the world’s coronavirus deaths over the weekend were in the Americas, Etienne said, adding that nearly every country in Central America reports an increase in infections. According to her, Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic have been hit the hardest.
“Over the weekend, the world reached a tragic milestone – more than three million lost their lives to COVID, and nearly half of these deaths occurred here in the Americas,” Etienne said.
Chile sees a plateau in cases, while Brazil reports a decline. But despite the decline, Etienne said, matters in Brazil remain ‘alarmingly high’. Argentina is in third place in the weekly number of new cases. Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia and Uruguay also deteriorated. And Mexico, after weeks of decline in new cases, is seeing a slight increase.
The good news is that Chile, after strengthening public health measures, has seen a plateau and that Brazil, after a difficult few months, has reported a decline in cases – including in the Amazon region.
– PAHO / WHO (@pahowho) 21 April 2021
Regionally, the United States and Chile have made the greatest progress with their vaccination campaigns – both of which have vaccinated about 40 percent of their population – according to Our World in Data.
Uruguay has vaccinated more than 30 percent of its population, while Brazil has so far vaccinated 11.6 percent and Mexico has vaccinated about 8.7 percent. Other countries in the region lag behind.
During the news conference, officials said most countries in the region rely on the global COVAX mechanism, which aims to distribute vaccines fairly to developing countries.
Etienne said that more than 4.2 million doses of vaccine have been delivered by COVAX to 29 countries in the Americas so far, and that more doses are on the way.