While COVID-19 cases have decreased in the Americas for the first time in five weeks, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Dr Carissa Etienne has urged countries to stay on alert.“Being healthy and safe from disease is an action, not a guarantee,” she said at a media briefing on Wednesday, as she called on countries to use the tools at their disposal, such as vaccines, medicines, and surveillance, to keep their populations healthy.Despite an overall drop in COVID-19 in the region, Dr Etienne warned that cases remain high. In the Caribbean, hospitalisations continue to increase in Cuba, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Trinidad and Tobago. In North America, Canada reported a 20 per cent increase in new cases, and some countries in Central and South America also reported surges.