Last checked at 
(Updates with PAHO director quotes, background on COVAX,
regional coronavirus situation)
By Cassandra Garrison
MEXICO CITY, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Countries participating in
the COVAX coronavirus vaccine distribution mechanism will soon
receive confirmation of their first shipments but should expect
them to be small due to limited global supplies, the director of
the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on Wednesday.
Nations waiting on doses from the COVAX program, co-led by
the World Health Organization (WHO) and the GAVI Vaccine
Alliance to support poorer countries, can expect a timeline and
information on dose amounts in "the next days and weeks," PAHO
Director Carissa Etienne said in a virtual briefing.
About 160 million doses would be distributed in the region
in the first six months with doses ramping up monthly, Etienne
said, adding that a global squeeze on supplies meant initial
shipments would be limited.
"Rest assured, PAHO is doing everything it can to expand
vaccine availability and to get vaccines out quickly," Etienne
said.
The WHO's emergency use authorization for the AstraZeneca
/Oxford University COVID-19 vaccine from two
manufacturers on Monday was a "critical milestone," Etienne
said. Officials are planning to distribute more than 300 million
doses of the vaccine to 145 countries through COVAX.
About 63 million people had so far been vaccinated against
COVID-19 in the Americas, but that number would need to increase
to 700 million in order for the region to achieve 70%
inoculation, officials said.
"We urge ministries of health, regulatory agencies, and
other officials to review requirements for each COVAX vaccine to
avoid delays in shipments," Etienne said.
There were 1.2 million new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and
39,000 related deaths in the last week, a 10% drop from recent
weeks. Across North America and Central America, new infections
were declining, with the exception of Honduras, Etienne said,
which has consistently reported a rise in infections in 2021.
(Reporting by Cassandra Garrison; Additional reporting by
Adriana Barrera; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
