Guess What Percentage Of Latin America And The Caribbean Is Vaccinated Against COVID-19?

MEXICO CITY, Mexico, Thurs. Oct 21, 2021(Reuters) – Dare to guess how many Latin Americans and Caribbean nationals are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19?

Forty-one percent said the Pan American Health Organization, (PAHO), said on Wednesday.

Still, PAHO Director Carissa Etienne said in a news conference that the coverage has not been evenly distributed across all countries in the region, and called for public health measures to be maintained and prioritized.

Millions of Mexicans have been vaccinated with Sputnik V and Cansino shots. Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he will urge the WHO to speed up approvals.

Etienne urged people to get vaccinated against both COVID-19 and influenza, noting that some people could have lower defenses against the flu from staying at home and social distancing.

The COVAX vaccine sharing program is scheduled to provide another 4.6 million shots to the region by the end of the week.

(Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon; editing by Jonathan Oatis)