There have been more than 2.4 million cases and more than 143,000 deaths across the Americas, said Dr Carissa Etienne at a press conference, adding that the region “has become the epicenter of the Covid pandemic.”
PAHO is particularly concerned about Brazil, where the number of new cases reported last week “has been the highest for a period of seven days since the outbreak began,” said Etienne.
Peru and Chile are also reporting a high number of cases, he added, warning that for the countries of the region “it is not the time to relax restrictions or reduce prevention strategies.”
On Tuesday, Chile had 77,961 infections and 806 deaths since the beginning of the epidemic. Two members of his government, Energy Minister Juan Carlos Jobet and Public Works Minister Alfredo Moreno, tested positive for the virus on Monday after showing mild symptoms.
Brazil overtook Russia over the weekend to become the country with the most confirmed Covid-19 cases after the United States, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. By Monday, he reported 374,898 infections in total and 23,473 deaths, according to the ministry of health.
“Now is the time to stay strong, be vigilant and aggressively apply proven public health measures. We have learned from other regions, we have learned what works and what does not and we must continue to apply this knowledge to our context,” Ha said Etienne.
Brazil crisis
These tragic milestones arrive a few hours before the U.S. travel ban to Brazil came into effect at 11:59 pm ET on Tuesday evening. It will limit the entry of all foreign citizens, including Brazilians, who were in the country in the past 14 days.
Sao Paulo governor Joao Doria told CNN that the ban could affect diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries.
Its 12 million city is the hardest hit in the country, with over 83,000 infections and 6,220 deaths, according to the latest data from the Brazilian ministry of health.
Doria told CNN that President Jair Bolsonaro was undermining preventive measures and sending messages from the governors of the worst affected places in Brazil. “President Bolsonaro’s behavior is wrong behavior. It is against social isolation. It is against the orientation of science,” said Doria, adding that in his city “we support social isolation, we recommend people to use masks. and stay home. ”
Bolsonaro called the virus a “small flu” and often minimized its risks. Two health ministers left his cabinet over a 4-week period – one was fired and the other resigned – after disagreements over how to deal with the pandemic.
A coronavirus model that has been cited by the White House suggests that the country’s trauma is far from over.
Analysis by the Institute for Metrics and Health Assessment (IHME) at University of Washington projects will result in 125,833 deaths by August 4, with a possible interval between 68,311 and 221,078.
Flora Charner, Anna Gorzkowska and Hira Humayun contributed to this relationship.
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