Doing our Part to Improve COVID Care in Honduras
By Alex Greer, Brigade Volunteer
In an October 2020 report, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development noted there was “substantial evidence that middle and low-income countries have been largely priced out of access to Covid-19 related products.”1 Among those countries is Honduras.
As First World countries continue to roll out vaccines to their citizens, it is estimated that nearly a quarter of the world’s population may not have access to any vaccine until at least 2022.2 In February 2021, Bloomberg estimated that 78% of all vaccine doses have been administered in the United States, China, in the European Union, and the United Kingdom,3 and the World Health Organization reported in early February that 130 countries had yet to administer a single dose.4
Honduras, with a population of 9.75 million people, had received only 53,000 vaccine doses as of March 13.5 In addition to limited vaccine access and the devastating economic impact of the pandemic in general, Honduras also suffers from crippling income inequality. Unfortunately, 64.5% of the population lives below the poverty line, with 42.6% in extreme poverty.6
It’s not all bad news, though. According to CNN’s World Covid-19 tracker, Honduras has reported 22% the number of cases and 34% the number of deaths (per 100,000 people) compared to the United States.7
That said, the hospitals’ resources are limited, as indicated by our current initiative to provide much needed PPE for Regional Hospital Santa Teresa, still a COVID-19 designated center.
For these reasons and more, the VHC Medical Brigade is dedicated to building sustainable community health solutions in Honduras, and specifically this year to Fund Change for COVID Care, to impact both humanitarian and economic outcomes for those we serve.
We have begun to do our part and, with your help, will do even more for the people for Honduras.
Sources:
1 Global Trade Update, October 2020 ditcinf2020d4_en.pdf (unctad.org) (page 6)
6 Why Honduras Remains Latin America’s Most Unequal Country (worldpoliticsreview.com)