In an effort to improve the health and protection of populations in situations of high vulnerability due to COVID-19, the Government of Canada is contributing CAN$50 MILLION (close to US$40 million) to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in support of its fight against COVID-19 in the region.

The donation will facilitate the continuity of PAHO’s critical work in the Caribbean and Latin America towards readiness and access to COVID-19 vaccines, for at-risk women, migrants, refugees, transient persons, indigenous and vulnerable populations in areas where health conditions are typically precarious.

Speaking about the organisation’s collaboration with the Canadian Government, PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne said: “This collaboration was born with the common vision that COVID-19 vaccines should not be a privilege but a right for every person, regardless of their ethnicity, economic condition, gender, migratory status or whether they reside in a city or rural area.”

She continued: “Canada’s contribution will help Caribbean and Latin American countries to make meaningful progress on access to COVID-19 vaccines for every eligible person, starting with the most vulnerable — most frequently women.”

In a press release dated Thursday (May 27), PAHO said focus would be placed on “training for public health workers and health care professionals on equitable COVID-19 vaccine rollout, as well as comprehensive technical cooperation on regulatory and oversight processes”.

The organisation further indicated that it would reinforce “immunisation policies and vaccine delivery strategies, supporting vaccine procurement, logistics and cold chain challenges, strengthening communication strategies, and advocating for fair access and allocation of vaccines”.

On the matter of creating access to vaccines for transient populations, PAHO Director of Health Emergencies Dr. Ciro Ugarte said “Populations like migrants and indigenous communities move across areas and borders, and many times they do not have access to the health coverage they need”.

He continued: “By offering vaccines to transient populations, countries in the Caribbean and Latin America can deter additional burdens to their national health systems due to infections while mitigating further transmission of the virus…”.