Regaining normalcy. More than a hope?

The pandemic has us in a kind of suspended state. Our way of living, working and interacting with people has changed, we are readjusting our lives to enter what experts call “a new normal” that we still do not fully understand and that we are still trying to adequately define. The “new normal” is, or should be, a time when people apply a series of measures, mainly health, to avoid getting infected or infecting others, while performing some daily activities, particularly essential ones. Therefore, this new normal is, unfortunately, restrictive.

The question that arises is: When will we come out of this sense of exceptionality and back to living in a way we consider “normal”? Are we close or still a long way off?

There is still no more or less certain moment that signals a return to a normality similar to how we lived before. However, there are two central conditions that should be met for this to happen and – hopefully – in the short term.

First, vaccinating a large percentage of the world’s population seems to be a clearly necessary condition in reducing the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths and eventually stopping the pandemic. But at the rate we are going, will it be possible to achieve effective and sufficiently broad coverage? The availability, distribution and all the logistics involved in the application of the vaccine have become a real headache.

Add to these already complicated issues others that may have a significant impact on achieving adequate coverage and cause the presence of “pockets” of unvaccinated population groups that become invisible to national statistics and that could put the brakes on efforts to control the pandemic through vaccination. These “other” factors are: corruption, improvisation, apathy/disinformation, and anti-vaccine movements.

Not only that, but time itself is working against it. As long as there is a wide circulation of the virus, at a community level and for longer, the chances of the emergence of new variants and even strains, which evade the immune response produced by the vaccine and which may be more virulent, are considerably greater.

The speed of vaccination in Latin America has generally been slow and the capacities of individual countries are heterogeneous. However, there are also some cases, such as Chile and Uruguay, that have reached relatively high coverage in a short time and that in this regard represent a reference for the region.

Our understanding of which groups to vaccinate has also evolved. There is currently some scientific consensus on the advisability of including adolescents over 12 years of age and pregnant women in vaccination groups.

The goal for the percentage of the population to be vaccinated has also been changing. While all vaccines being used in the region are safe and effective, it appears that not all of them have the same ability to affect the transmission of the virus. So it's quite possible that we will have to aim for coverage above 70% to really slow down the contagion curves.

Another aspect that should be highlighted and never left out is sustained compliance with mitigation measures. Even with the advent of vaccines, is more important than it was a year ago. Physical distancing, the use of masks and the application of quarantines where necessary have been measures that have strongly affected our way of life and have caused fatigue in the population. However, systematic and widespread compliance with these measures clearly reduces the virus transmission rate.

Well-designed and contextually appropriate communication strategies that support and reinforce compliance with these measures need to be sustained and systematic, considering a wide diversity of target audiences, both vaccinated (even with full doses) and unvaccinated or partially vaccinated people. The duration of these measures will be prolonged and they must be part of our “normality”.

The scenario seems bleak and has its ups and downs, matching the daily case curves for the pandemic. However, unlike last year, we sense that the light at the end of the tunnel is getting closer. Certain countries are showing that the pandemic can be controlled, some of which can be found in our region.

At CAF, we have strongly supported the region in facing this situation over the past year and a half. As early as March 3, 2020, just 5 days after the first case reported in the region, CAF had already approved USD 5 million of emergency humanitarian aid, which subsequently exceeded 6.15 million and which helped 15 CAF countries by purchasing protective equipment for healthcare personnel,COVID-19 detection kits and equipment for hospitals, among other destinations.

In addition, very early on, the Regional Credit Line for Extreme Weather Events, Earthquakes, Polluting Accidents and Epidemics was activated for USD 300 million, which received applications from 8 countries in the region for specific credits for attention to health situations relating to the pandemic.

Throughout 2020, CAF allocated USD 3.8 billion through the Regional Countercyclical Emergency Support Line set up for COVID-19; approved a Regional Countercyclical Support Facility for Development Banks due to the effects of COVID-19 for USD 1.6 billion, and approved a line of USD 1.2 billion to provide liquidity to utilities in the region, mainly energy and water.

This year, in 2021, we began with the approval of a Contingent Credit Line for USD 1 billion for the Strengthening of Healthcare Systems within the framework of the COVID-19 Pandemic and especially to support vaccination processes, for which we have already received the first applications.

It is our commitment to the region to contribute in the best possible way to the management of this crisis that has completely changed our paradigm. We adapt and reinvent our agendas on a daily basis in order to be close to our customers and meet their needs, focused on bringing about a new normal in which our member countries are strengthened.