Round Two of the National Survey on the Continuity of Essential Health Services during the COVID-19 Pandemic February - March 2021

Abstract

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are monitoring disruptions in the delivery of essential health services in the context of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. To date, they have implemented two rounds of pulse surveys, one in 2020 and one in 2021, with the aim of assessing the magnitude and extent of the disruptions. To track and better understand the extent of the disruptions to essential health services caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the Region of the Americas, PAHO has been supporting the implementation of national surveys on the continuity of essential health services during the COVID-19 pandemic. This publication presents the results of the second round of the survey in the Region of the Americas, which was conducted in 2021 and included the main questions from the surveys applied in 2020. The 2021 survey was sent to key informants in 52 countries and territories in the Americas. The findings provide immediate information on countries’ current experiences, the extent of disruptions in a set of tracer services, the reason for the disruptions, and the mitigation strategies implemented. By providing a quick view of the situation, the survey results can support decisionmakers in taking stock of current challenges, and can serve as a basis for planning processes and resource allocation at the national, regional, and global levels. The findings can support the planning and implementation of mitigation strategies formulated by WHO. They are also used to support actions to mitigate the impact of the pandemic implemented by PAHO's Incident Management Support Team, as well as the actions of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator.