WHO regional director for Americas calls for US contribution in COVID-19 fight

The World Health Organisation’s regional director for the Americans has called for solidarity and joint action along with the United States to combat the coronavirus outbreak on June 2. As the COVID-19 cases in some regions continue to spike, the Washington-based Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) director Carissa Etienne has urged the US to keep helping the countries in their fight with the global health crisis despite US President Donald Trump announcing ‘terminating’ its relationship with the United Nations health agency. 

During the weekly press briefing on coronavirus outbreak, Etienne noted that the number of COVID-19 cases when the first such conference took place ten weeks ago was 163,000 and now, they are nearing to three million. She said that even though the circumstances in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic are “dire” it is “not hopeless” only if the leaders decide to combat the crisis together. PAHO director urged that “we must work together” and share the research, resources, treatment of the deadly disease amongst each other.

PAHO Director, “At that time, there were 163,000 cases reported in our region. Today, we are nearing 3 million.

“Yes, the situation we face is dire, but not hopeless, as long as our approach to defeating the virus is based on solidarity. We must work together, share resources, and apply the proven strategies that we have learned along the way. This is our way out,” she added.

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‘Deep-rooted challenges’ in the Americas

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, Etienne noted that the Americas are also facing “deep-rooted challenges” of inequality which has a further impact on the quality of health care received by people in the region. Just last week, WHO’s other senior official noted that ‘Latin America can be new epicentre’ of the COVID-19 pandemic and PAHO director said that the region is rocked with three simultaneous emergencies including health, economic, and social. According to her, all these problems shall be acknowledged in combination with containing the novel coronavirus. 

“We are a region full of groups at greater risk of contracting and falling sick from the virus – indigenous populations, migrants, people with underlying health conditions like non-communicable diseases,” Etienne said.

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