Americas is facing pandemic of the unvaccinated, PAHO says

The Americas is facing a pandemic of the unvaccinated, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on Wednesday, as it warned countries with low inoculation rates are seeing increases in COVID-19 and repeated a call for vaccine donations.

"We face a pandemic of the unvaccinated, and the only way to stop it is to expand vaccination," PAHO director Carissa Etienne said at a weekly briefing. "Vaccines are critical, even if no vaccine is 100% effective." The start of vaccinations in Haiti - which has plunged deeper into turmoil following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise - highlights how ready countries are to receive donations of shots, she added.