Many Latin American countries now among those with highest rates of vaccination

The vaccine rollout was slow at the start, with just getting the vaccines in hand a major issue. Just six months ago, Latin America and the Caribbean were reporting just under half of all Covid-19 related deaths worldwide. Now, the region accounts for about 10% of Covid-19 related deaths, One reason for those successful vaccination campaigns can be chalked up to history: Many countries in Latin America have long-standing and trusted national inoculation drives against other diseases, such as polio.Cuba has, perhaps, fared best in this regard, with its bet on its homegrown vaccines — approved for emergency use by its drug regulators this summer — paying off.The country has the highest rate of vaccination in the region — and one of the highest in the world — with 84.1% of its inhabitants fully vaccinated, according to PAHO. In September, Cuba became the first in the world to begin the mass vaccination of However, much of that rise was driven by cases in the US, with PAHO reporting an overall case drop in South America of 10.7% in cases and a 6.3% decrease in deaths in that week.Bolivia was the outlier, reporting a sharp increase in cases, as did some parts of the Caribbean, where a PAHO analysis showed cases increased by 16%.As well as imported vaccines, Latin America is now producing more of its own. This month, PAHO Director General Carissa Etienne welcomed WHO approval of an AstraZeneca vaccine jointly produced by Argentina and Mexico — the first in Latin America. “This is an important milestone for Latin America and highlights the importance of technology transfer to increase the availability of quality COVID-19 vaccines in the region,” Etienne said.