More than 100,000 coronavirus infections in Latin America

The number of coronavirus infections across Latin America surpassed 100,000 on Sunday with nearly 5,000 deaths, according to an AFP tally based on official figures reported by individual countries.

Brazil, with a population of 210 million, has the most cases – 38,654 infections and 2,462 deaths – although experts believe the number of infections to be far greater, given relatively little testing.

Based on official figures, Latin America as a whole had 100,952 cases on Sunday, with 4,924 deaths.

While Europe and North America have so far borne the brunt of the pandemic, infections have been steadily rising across Latin America which has little of the health infrastructure of its richer counterparts.

The International Monetary Fund issued a dire warning on Thursday over the far-reaching economic consequences for the region, saying it is facing its worst recession since countries began producing data in the 1950s.

Recent conditions in the region have led to "plummeting" economic activity with growth estimated to contract by 5.2 percent in 2020, said Alejandro Werner, the IMF's western hemisphere director.

– TIMES/AFP