COVID cases, deaths falling in Americas, but too soon to lower guard -PAHO

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on Wednesday said COVID-19 cases fell by 26% across the Americas last week while deaths from the virus dropped by nearly 19%, but cautioned that some effective measures to curb infections should be maintained. The region recorded 1.1 million new infections during the period with 18,000 COVID-related deaths. 'We all want the pandemic to be over, but optimism alone cannot control the virus. It is too soon to lower our guard,' PAHO director Carissa Etienne said. Etienne also noted that the number of reported cases in countries may not reflect the actual figure due to a possible reduction in testing.