Argentina passes 1 million cases as virus hits Latin America
At the edge of Argentina in a city known as “The End of the World,” many thought they might be spared from the worst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Sitting far from the South American nation’s bustling capital, health workers in Ushuaia were initially able to contain a small outbreak among foreigners hoping to catch boats to the Antarctic at the start of the crisis.
But as Argentina passed 1 million virus cases Monday, it is now smaller cities like Ushuaia that are seeing some of the most notable upticks. Doctors have had to quadruple the number of beds for COVID-19 patients over the last month. At least 60% of those tested recently are coming back positive for the virus.
Across Latin America, three other nations are expected to reach the 1 million case milestone in the coming weeks: Colombia (974,000), Peru (874,000), and Mexico (861,000). Brazil has nearly 5.3 million cases — behind only the U.S. and India.
The grim mark comes as Latin America continues to register some of the world’s highest daily case counts. And though some nations have seen important declines, overall there has been little relief, with cases dropping in one municipality only to escalate in another.
Argentina has seen cases spiral despite instituting one of the world’s longest lockdowns, from March 20 to May 7. The country initially registered low virus case numbers but now has one of the highest rates of new daily infections per capita — on par with several European countries that are experiencing a resurgence of the virus.
At: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/10/21/world/argentina-passes-1-million-cases-virus-hits-latin-america/
Doctors attend to a Covid-19 patient in Paraná, Argentina.
Argentina became the sixth country in the world to reach 1 million confirmed cases on Monday. The pandemic has thus far claimed some 27,000 lives in the country — the world's 12th highest death toll.
