COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Chapter uri icon

abstract

  • Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries have been most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with 25%25 of recent global infections occurring in the region. Of the 10 countries with the highest global mortality rate, 8 are in LAC. COVID-19 deaths in the region are nearly 1.3 million people, but the pandemic will continue to cause excess mortality due to disruption of health services, economic instability, and deepening of existing inequalities. In addition, countries with high levels of infection may result in the emergence of more transmissible and vaccine-resistant variants. The region has not gained global attention and now faces new challenges that are likely to worsen the situation and pose a threat to the rest of the world. COVID-19 mortality has significantly impacted the countries of LAC. LAC is characterized by a high level of residential segregation and inequalities in terms of important risk factors for the pandemic. The interrelationships between social class, gender, ethnicity, and territory and its intermediary variables are complex. LAC presents an urgent need for the global community to assist in controlling the pandemic, but this should not prevent the region from developing its capacity to manage the pandemic. Expanding local vaccine manufacturing and replicating the WHO-supported COVID-19 vaccination centers would be a start. This chapter aims to provide an overview of the situation in the Latin America and Caribbean region arising from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic from a syndemic perspective. © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.

publication date

  • 2024-01-01