The World Health Organization said on Monday that the Americas, especially Latin America and the Caribbean are witnessing a rapid increase in the number of new coronavirus cases.
Dr. Mike Ryan, WHO executive director of Health Emergencies Program, said that five of the 10 countries worldwide reporting the highest number of cases in the past 24 hours are Brazil, the USA, Peru, Chile, Mexico, Haiti, Argentina, and Bolivia.
The director added that many weeks ago, the world was focused on South Asia and Africa as hot spots for the pandemic. However, there has been a shift in the focus, because those regions are stable now, even though the situation is still difficult. However, the situation in South American countries is unstable, as they have been recording a rapid increase in cases.
“I would certainly characterize that Central and South America, in particular, have very much become the intense zones of transmission for this virus as we speak,” Ryan added. “And I don't believe that we have reached the peak in that transmission, and at this point, I cannot predict when we will,” he said.
