AFP - One in four people has not yet received a single dose of vaccination in the Americas, where infections and deaths from Covid-19 continue to increase, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) warned on Wednesday, February 2.

63% of the inhabitants of Latin America and the Caribbean have been vaccinated against Covid-19, but it remains the most unequal region in the world in terms of access to vaccines, said PAHO Director Carissa Etienne during a  virtual press conference.

Although 14 countries and territories have fully immunized 70% of their population, many others have yet to protect 40%, it adds.

In low- and middle-income countries "more than 54% of people have not yet received a single vaccine against covid-19", says Etienne.

Meanwhile, infections and deaths from Covid-19 continue to rise.

Last week saw more than 7 million new cases and over 34,000 deaths related to the virus.

Deaths increased for the fourth consecutive week in all subregions, with an increase of almost 33% compared to the previous seven days.

In the Caribbean, deaths have more than doubled in Cuba, the Bahamas, and Antigua and Barbuda.

On other islands, such as Martinique and Guadeloupe, the virus is spreading rapidly among the young and unvaccinated, and in South America, Chile and Brazil have recorded record numbers of daily cases.