COVID-19: the evolution of the pandemic in the Hemisphere

A very good morning, Your Excellency Ambassador Harold Forsyth, Chair of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) and Permanent Representative of Peru; Her Excellency Dr. Carissa F. Etienne, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO); Mr. Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the OAS; heads of state and government; permanent representatives and permanent observers. It is an honour to address you on behalf of the Dominican Republic, amid the important challenges our countries face in the COVID-19 pandemic.

This pandemic has reminded us of the pressing need to redefine and urgently establish new management strategies in all sectors of social and political activity that, in one way or another, aim at the collective well-being and sustainable development of our populations. The pandemic has forced us to evolve alongside the volatility and dynamism this disease has meant for public health. It has led us to rethink the way in which the health problems that existed before the pandemic are addressed, together with the new challenges that have arisen, obliging us to chart a different route toward a new paradigm of development.

The Dominican Government, like the other nations present here, has made it a priority to strengthen the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, directing its efforts at mitigating the effects of the health crisis and its overall impact on our nation. In addition to the efforts at economic reactivation, among the most important measures applied in our country has been the National Vaccination Plan against COVID-19, whose progress has been a complete success, placing the Dominican Republic among the leading countries of the region in vaccination coverage. These achievements are the result of coordinated work among national institutions and the backing of public-private partnerships.

We have likewise had the active participation of communities, reflecting the commitment we have as a country to the well-being of our population and as a contribution to the global efforts to work together against COVID-19. It is important to note how fundamental the support received through international cooperation has been, which has included an exchange of experience, donations and loans of supplies and health products; we therefore take this important occasion to call for cooperation to continue and for all these efforts to be directed at improving access to the COVID-19 vaccine and guaranteeing coverage of the most vulnerable populations, which is fundamental to success in the battle against this disease.

In the same way, we consider this the best setting in which to renew our commitment with the member states to strengthen hemispheric integration and multilateral cooperation, which will allow us to advance together in developing sustainable models that permit economic recovery, improve vaccination coverage, above all in the most vulnerable countries, and, with very special interest, to focus on improving and maintaining surveillance of emergencies that may give rise to phenomena similar to the one we face.

To conclude, I reiterate our commitment to encouraging conduct that helps to control these phenomena at the environmental level, and to reducing comorbidities so as to improve their prognosis. We therefore call for the strengthening of health promotion mechanisms through healthy conduct that allows sustainable development in the prevention and control of disease, and we subscribe to every effort at hemispheric coordination aimed at achieving these common health goals.

Thank you very much.