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BRASILIA, Feb 16 (Reuters) – New COVID-19 infections throughout the Americas area fell by 31% within the final week, marking a sixth successive week of declines, however deaths are nonetheless on the rise, up 5.6%, the Pan American Well being Group (PAHO) mentioned on Wednesday.
Half of the area’s 34,000 deaths have been reported in the USA, as international locations throughout the area noticed deaths surge after an increase in hospitalizations and intensive care admissions pushed by the simply unfold Omicron variant of the virus.
COVID deaths are likely to lag new infections and hospitalizations by just a few weeks, which is why they proceed to rise as instances fall.
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In South America, Brazil registered the very best numbers of deaths, setting a file for the present wave.
“Undoubtedly, Omicron overtook us,” PAHO director Carissa Etienne mentioned in a briefing, noting that the instruments developed to battle the pandemic aren’t working as properly to cease transmission of the brand new and extra contagious variant.
COVID-19 has been deadlier within the Americas than in every other area of the world, she mentioned.
Greater than 2.5 million folks have died within the Americas over the course of the pandemic, with over 100,000 folks misplaced to COVID-19 within the first month of 2022.
“We’re urging international locations to concentrate on filling in essential gaps in vaccination protection,” Etienne mentioned.
“Inaction shouldn’t be an possibility when as much as 34,000 folks have died from this virus every week over the past weeks within the Americas,” she mentioned. “That implies that as much as 202 folks have died each hour.”
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Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Enhancing by Invoice Berkrot
Our Requirements: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.