Coronavirus wave takes Haiti, yet to begin vaccinations, by surprise

People walk in a market as they go about their lives in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, May 24, 2021. REUTERS/Valerie Baeriswyl

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - For more than a year, Haiti escaped the worst ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic, reporting few cases and fatalities - a rare break for the poorest country in the Americas, which has so often been beset by misfortune.

COVID-19 treatment centers closed for lack of patients, Haitians resumed life as normal, and the government hesitated to even accept its allotment of free AstraZeneca vaccines through the U.N.-backed COVAX mechanism due to safety and logistical concerns.