COVID-19 Cases Pass 8M Worldwide; Pandemic Hits Latin America Hard, Especially Brazil

Reuters: Global coronavirus cases reach over 8 million as outbreak expands in Latin America
“Global cases of the novel coronavirus reached over 8 million on Monday, as infections surge in Latin America and the United States and China grapple with fresh outbreaks. The United States still leads the world with the highest number of infections, about 2 million or 25% of all reported cases. However, the outbreak is growing fastest in Latin America, which now accounts for 21% of all cases, according to a Reuters tally…” (Shumaker/Chan, 6/15).

Washington Post: As control measures lift, the coronavirus pandemic continues to grow. Here are the global hot spots.
“…[T]he novel coronavirus persists. Measured in terms of new confirmed cases — figures that experts agree are underestimated — it is surging rather than dwindling. … Even if the recent surge in confirmed numbers may be due in part to increases in the availability of testing, the virus is nowhere near going away, experts say. As early hot spots begin to recover, the epicenters of the pandemic shift. Amid a widespread relaxation in restrictions, from Israel to Iran to South Korea to China, new clusters have formed. Three months after much of the world shut down, the United States, Brazil, Russia, and India are reporting the highest numbers of new daily cases…” (Berger, 6/15).

Washington Post: Brazil ignored the warnings. Now, while other countries fret over a second coronavirus wave, it can’t get past its first.
“…Latin America’s largest country has so far registered more than 888,000 coronavirus cases and nearly 44,000 deaths, second on both counts only to the United States. But while other countries have been through steep curves and are now focused on preparations for a possible second wave, Brazil can’t even get past its first. What’s happening here appears to be unique on a global level. Despite soaring numbers, officials never implemented measures largely successful elsewhere in the world. There has been no national lockdown. No national testing campaign. No agreed-upon plan. Insufficient health-care expansion. Instead, the hardest-hit cities are now deciding to open up, throwing open the doors to malls and churches, at a time when the country is routinely posting more than 30,000 new cases a day — five times more than Italy reported at the peak of its outbreak. The inaction has pushed the country onto a path that scientists call uncharted…” (McCoy/Traiano, 6/16).

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