The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has made a fervent appeal to the Americas, including the Caribbean, to prepare to respond to imported cases, outbreaks and community transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Last Friday, PAHO said that in the last 10 days, 14 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have reported confirmed cases of COVID-19, in addition to the United States and Canada.
It says given the rapid arrival of COVID-19, PAHO urged countries to focus on containing the virus, saving lives by ensuring that health workers are protected and that the sector is prepared to care for patients, and reducing transmission through multi-sectoral actions and measures.
PAHO said that on the afternoon of Friday March 6, there were 257 confirmed cases in 10 countries and four territories in the Region of the Americas, namely: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, French Guiana, Martinique, Mexico, San Bartolome, San Martin, and the United States.
The PAHO director said the health organization is working intensively with countries that have the weakest health systems.
