WASHINGTON, United States (CMC) — Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Dr Carissa Etienne yesterday described the Americas, which includes the Caribbean, as the “epicentre” of the COVID-19 pandemic and called on the international community to make regional access to vaccines “a global priority”.

“The life-saving power of vaccines should not be a privilege for the few, but a right for all – especially the countries at greatest risk like those in the Americas, which remain the epicentre of the pandemic,” she said during her weekly media briefing. “Our region needs vaccines as soon as possible, and as many as possible, to save lives.”

Asserting that the Americas has been the region hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, she said “millions remain vulnerable to infection and death”.