1 million coronavirus deaths in Latin America

Welcome to “Number of the Week,” where we choose a single figure that helps to understand what is going on in Latin America. This week, 1 million Covid-19 deaths in Latin America.

1million

Covid-19 deaths

Fourteen months have passed since Latin America recorded its first coronavirus death on March 7, 2020. This week, the region hit the macabre milestone of 1 million fatalities, easily making the pandemic the deadliest event in Latin American history. 

The viral disaster. The Covid-19 pandemic ravaged social indicators in Latin America. According to the UNHCR, the continent is home to “five of the 15 countries worldwide with the highest number of Covid-19 deaths.” Brazil has one of the world’s highest per capita coronavirus mortality rates, only surpassed by a handful of small European nations with much older populations.

Meanwhile, a handful of Latin...