Latin America should not relax COVID-19 containment measures, says regional WHO

Latin American countries should not relax measures aimed at containing the spread of the coronavirus until vaccines become available, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) official Marcos Espinal said on Wednesday.

Speaking on a video conference call with other officials, Espinal said Latin America was not out of the pandemic's first wave, and that keeping up containment measures was crucial to prevent unnecessary deaths. At the same conference, PAHO director Carissa Etienne also encouraged Latin American countries to participate in the global COVID-19 vaccine facility known as COVAX.

The PAHO is the Americas regional office of the World Health Organization.