​​​​​What you should know

• Bolsonaro: Brazilian senators voted to recommend charging the president over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Brazil’s death toll is

• 46 percent: The share of Latin America and the Caribbean’s population that has been fully immunized against COVID-19, according to PAHO.
• 8: The number of consecutive weeks that COVID-19 deaths and infections have declined across the Americas.
• United States: Borders reopened last week to nonessential travel, including the US-Mexico border, following a 20-month closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• NALS: Deepening collaboration regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and health security will be among the agenda items at this week’s North Americas Leaders’ Summit.
• Death toll: As the world surpasses 5 million COVID-related deaths, Latin America and the Caribbean remains the deadliest region with over 1.5 million deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Vaccination by the numbers

Vaccinations per capita (vaccines administered per 100 people): Cuba (224) #1 worldwide, Uruguay (190) #3 worldwide, Chile (186) #4 worldwide, El Salvador (130) Vaccinations per capita (vaccines administered per 100 people): Cuba (233) #1 worldwide, Chile (202) #3 worldwide, Uruguay (193) #4 worldwide, Argentina (138) #38 worldwide, El Salvador (136) #41 worldwide, Costa Rica (133) #45 worldwide, Brazil (132) #48 worldwide, Ecuador (131) #50 worldwide, Panama (129) #54 worldwide, Dominican Republic (125) #56 worldwide, Peru (111) #68 worldwide, Source: nytimes.com

Percentage of population fully vaccinated: Chile (77) #8 worldwide, Uruguay (76) #13 Percentage of population fully vaccinated: Chile (82) #5 worldwide, Uruguay (76) #15 worldwide, Cuba (69) #27 worldwide, El Salvador (61) #45 worldwide, Argentina (60) #49 worldwide, Ecuador (60) #50 worldwide, Brazil (58) #55 worldwide, Costa Rica (58) #57 worldwide, Panama (56) #62 worldwide, Belize (52) #68 worldwide, Source nytimes.com

Geopolitics of vaccine donations: US vs. China

• The United States outpaces China in its donations of COVID-19 vaccines to Latin America and the Caribbean, with Colombia and Mexico topping the list. The region has received roughly 52 percent of all US COVID-19 vaccine donations. To learn more, visit our COVID-19 vaccine tracker: Latin America and the Caribbean.

Health + Innovation

• Argentina: The latest country to begin offering a third dose of COVID-19 vaccines to citizens aged over 50 and the immunocompromised.
• Over 2 million: The number of Sinovac vaccines Colombia received last week through the COVAX mechanism.

• Costa Rica: The Health Ministry announced that COVID-19 vaccinations will be required for all children under the age of 18, making it the first country in the world to do so.
• St. Kitts and Nevis: The first country in the Eastern Caribbean to exceed WHO’s vaccination target of 40 percent.
• 105,300: The latest shipment of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines arrived in Costa Rica, surpassing 7 million total vaccine doses received.
• Solar-powered freezers: UNICEF facilitated the acquisition of over 11,000 pieces of cold chain equipment to bolster Peru’s capacity and ensure safe vaccine delivery.
• Pfizer: Representatives met with Brazilian officials to seek authorization to use its COVID-19 vaccine in children aged 5 to 11 years.
• Colombia: The latest country to require mandatory vaccination cards for entry to mass events and establishments such as bars and restaurants.
• Sorrento Therapeutics: The latest biopharmaceutical company to receive regulatory approval in Brazil for COVISTIX, a COVID-19 antigen detection test.

Economies in focus

Economic Impact

• Mexico’s monthly car production and sales fell to their lowest level in 10 years as the industry is hit by the pandemic and a shortage of essential materials. 
• Argentina faces economic instability as black market dollar prices soared 8 percent in the last three weeks, widening the gap over the official exchange rate and adding to inflationary pressures. 
• Major gold and silver mining companies in Latin America face a 4 to 7 percent cost inflation due to COVID-19 supply chain disruptions. 
• Inflation in Brazil shot up to more than 10 percent as Latin America’s largest economy navigates a messy recovery from the pandemic’s impact. 

Economic Recovery

• Argentina is the first major country in Latin America to see gasoline demand recover to pre-pandemic levels as the country emerges from lockdown.  
• The US State Department announced new funding to help Mexico and Central America relieve COVID-19 supply chain disruptions. 
• The Guyanese manufacturing sector continues to rebound, recording an increase in output of 13.1 per cent following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in 2021.

Social transformations: Post-pandemic recovery tied to green initiatives

• A coalition of financial institutions announced that they would mobilize up to $100 trillion in investments by 2050 to help countries reach “net zero” emissions. 
• The IDB seeks to attract this funding in Latin America and the Caribbean by taking steps like attaching transparency standards to new green bonds. 
• Latin America’s Development Bank (CAF) and the World Bank pledged to fund greener and more inclusive post-COVID-19 economies in the region.