Latin America set to reach 1 million cases next week

The Peruvian government declared a state of emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak. Photo: Myriam B./Shutterstock

South America was recently named the world’s new epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic by the World Health Organization. Thecould be extended to all Latin America, as the region has officially recorded 934,250 cases and 49,026 deaths caused by the coronavirus. Given the rise in cases — driven by skyrocketing numbers in Brazil — the region should top 1 million cases within a matter of days, along with 50,000 deaths.

However, as noted by the Giro Latino newsletter, due to politics as well as capacity issues, we may never know the true number of cases and deaths in Latin America. For instance, the data coming from Nicaragua is highly suspect — and due to a lack of testing capacity in Haiti, we have no real idea of the number of victims on the island.

Brazil, with 33 percent of the region’s population, accounts for 50 percent of cases and 57 percent of deaths. The major centers of the crisis: São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are set to reopen next week, despite the fact the curve is nowhere near being flattened.