COVID is rising in the Americas, virus 'not going away anytime soon' -PAHO

People walk in a crowded street as new cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), driven by the Omicron variant, are surging, in Lima, Peru January 12, 2022. Picture taken January 12, 2022. REUTERS/Angela Ponce

SAO PAULO (Reuters) -COVID-19 is on the rise again in the Americas as many countries have abandoned measures like masking and social distancing and many lag in vaccination rates, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on Wednesday.

Cases in the Americas surged 27.2% last week from the prior one, driven primarily by a spike in infections in the United States, according to PAHO.