Pandemic ‘far from controlled’ in the Americas: PAHO

Facing new variants and a limited number of vaccines, some countries are approaching 100 percent ICU capacity.

COVID-19 infections are surging in the Americas with some nations’ intensive care unit (ICU) beds near 100 percent occupancy and the region facing new variants and an insufficient supply of vaccines. During a weekly news briefing on Wednesday, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Carissa Etienne said the surge in infections and widespread deaths – 40 percent of the world’s COVID deaths reported last week were in the Americas – are putting immense pressure on health systems. “Across our region, nearly 80 percent of our intensive care unit beds are filled with COVID patients and the numbers are even more dire in some places,” Etienne said during the virtual briefing.