Two Years of Pandemic: What Has Changed in Latin America?

This article was written by Anabella Abadi in collaboration with Lucila Berniell and Gustavo Fajardo.

After almost two years of pandemic, countries have been adapting control measures as the situation evolves. While socio-economic exhaustion has prompted people to go out on a more regular basis, governments have chosen to gradually replace lockdown strategies (such as the requirement to stay at home and the closure of schools) with the promotion of vaccination and non-pharmacological measures of individual responsibility (such as social distancing, wearing facemasks and regular hand washing). This slow, but sustained transition into the “new normal” has been constant even after the arrival of Omicron at the end of 2021.

As the variant of concern (VOC), Omicron is more contagious than the previous strains, which, in addition to the easing of lockdown measures, has resulted in a greater number of people infected. In CAF member countries, however, there is encouraging news: the case fatality rate (understood as the proportion of deaths among the total infected) is at its lowest point of the entire pandemic (Figure 1).

The lower fatality rates are due to several factors, including higher levels of immunity (natural and by vaccination), better understanding of the virus behavior and its modes of transmission, and greater knowledge about how to treat patients with severe COVID-19. While it is not trivial to assume which is the main cause is behind the drop in mortality rates, data suggest that increased vaccination has contributed substantially (Figure 2).

However, there is still long road ahead. The progress of vaccination in Latin American countries has been uneven and, by early 2022, nearly 200 million people had not completed their COVID-19 vaccination schedules (two doses for most vaccines). Also, only one in three fully vaccinated persons had received a booster shot. While Omicron is less lethal, severe COVID-19 continues to pose a significant risk to the population over the age of 75 and those unvaccinated. In fact, previous studies with data from Israel suggest that vaccination, in addition to reducing the risk of severe COVID-19, also reduces the risk of persistent COVID. In particular, among people who had COVID-19 at least a year ago, those fully vaccinated were less likely to report headaches (54% less), fatigue (64% less), and muscle pain (68% less) than those unvaccinated.

Also, strengthening health and epidemiological monitoring systems must become a priority. First, early detection and addressing of new waves or variants of COVID-19 will be an essential task going forward. This experience has made clear how harmful contagious diseases can be and, therefore, the value of investing in prevention and detection systems. Second, the strengthening of health systems is an outstanding debt in the region, which was exacerbated during the last two years. In this sense, the great challenge remains to guarantee universal health coverage, in particular by reducing the existing gaps between the fragmented health systems in the region with significant inequalities in terms of access and quality.