The Caribbean Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

As COVID-19 continues to spread rapidly across Latin America and the Caribbean, health officials are struggling to respond to the crisis due to already weak and fragile health systems. The Caribbean islands have a relatively low number of reported cases, totaling no more than 7,000, yet they remain vulnerable to the impacts of the pandemic, and could face even more serious economic consequences compared to larger regional economies.

While the islands have experience dealing with infectious diseases including dengue, chikungunya, and zika, time will tell if their healthcare systems are prepared for the current public health emergency.

Council of the Americas will hold an interview with Amado Alejandro Báez, executive director of the Presidential Committee for COVID-19 Response and public health advisor to the president of the Dominican Republic, to discuss the Caribbean’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic—with a focus on the Dominican Republic—to draw lessons for addressing health issues in the region.

This event is free and requires no registration. Live webcast is  available here: https://www.as-coa.org/events/caribbean-response-covid-19-pandemic.