Latin America and Caribbean records 500,000th virus case
Almost half of the region's cases have been recorded in Brazil, which has now recorded more than 15,000 deaths. Number of confirmed cases in Argentina rises to 7,805, with 363 fatalities to date.
Latin America and the Caribbean has now recorded more than half a million coronavirus infections, according to an AFP tally based on official reports.
Almost half have been recorded in Brazil – the country worst-hit by the pandemic in the region – which also has more than 15,000 deaths.
The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organisation (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of Covid-19 infections. Many countries are testing only the most serious cases.
More than 4.6 million people have been infected around the world since the virus first appeared in China late last year.
At least 309,000 have died from the disease and more than 1.6 million have recovered.
Local numbers
On Saturday evening, Health Ministry officials confirmed that 327 new cases of Covid-19 had been diagnosed in Argentina over the last 24 hours, lifting the total number of infections since the pandemic began to 7,805.
More than 80 percent of all cases have been registered in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area, taking in the capital and its surroundings.
Officials say 12 percent of all cases are considered "imported," with 44.6 percent a result of coming into close contact with someone with the virus. Around 30 percent are a result of "community transmission," with the rest under investigation.
No more fatalities have been registered since Friday, leaving the death toll from the virus at 363.
– TIMES/AFP
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