The United States has reported more than 2 million cases and nearly 114,000 deaths. (File)
Zurich / Geneva:
The Americas are currently the first victims of the global coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Friday, North and South America currently having four of the 10 most affected countries in the world.
The disease was “very active” in Central and South America, said WHO’s largest emergency specialist, Mike Ryan, highlighting the problems in Brazil and Mexico.
The current situation in Brazil, now one of the global hotspots for the virus, is of increasing concern, especially in the densely populated cities, he said at a press conference.
The country’s health care system “is still coping,” although some critical care units are at a critical juncture and under heavy pressure with over 90% bed occupancy, said Ryan.
Mexico has nearly 130,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and more than 15,000 deaths, according to WHO.
Brazil is the second most affected country in the world, with more than 800,000 cases and 41,000 deaths, according to a report by Reuters.
The two countries lag behind the United States, the most affected country, which has recorded more than 2 million cases and nearly 114,000 deaths.
“We are very much in the recovery phase of this pandemic, especially in the countries of the South,” said Ryan. “Some countries are struggling to break out of the so-called lockouts because they are seeing an increase in cases.”
It was possible that the disease would spread again as societies reopened and people started to meet again, especially when the tests were inadequate and the social distance was insufficient.
However, he acknowledged the pressures on countries to return to normal, in particular to reduce the economic damage caused by the crisis. “There is a delicate balance between keeping people at home … and the unfortunate effect of this on the economy and society. Is not an easy balance. There are no right answers”, said Ryan.
Ryan said that although some countries appear to be above the worst of the virus, clusters of the disease persist.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Gheybreyesus said vigilance is needed worldwide against the “very dangerous virus”, even in areas where it appears to be in decline.
“Our fear is that although it is decreasing in Europe, it is increasing in other parts of the world. Even Europe cannot be safe because the virus can be reintroduced in Europe,” he said.
Tedros was also firm on the need to distribute all vaccines equitably between countries, fearing that some might not be able to accumulate the drugs they are developing.
Vaccines should be made available as a global public good, to ensure everyone has equitable access to all of the vital products developed, said Tedros.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
