Latin America's hardest-hit countries have yet to reach a stage of flattening the curve of spiking coronavirus cases. Brazil and Peru, in particular, are having a hard time containing the virus and the death toll has been climbing at devastating levels too.
Peru Reports Over 5,000 New Cases
Peru on Tuesday reported 5,772 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the national tally to 129,751. There were also 159 new deaths. The fatality toll in Peru now stands at 3,788.
The news came days after Peruvian president Martin Vizcarra announced that the national state emergency will be extended until June 30. The said order includes mandatory quarantine measures as part of the efforts to control the virus' spread.
The news came after the World Health Organization (WHO) said the coronavirus is "still accelerating" in Latin American countries, including hard-hit Brazil and Peru.
WHO Warns Latin America Not Yet at Peak
Latin American countries have yet to reach the peak of their coronavirus battle, the WHO's health authority for the region said, marking a stark contrast from the situation in other countries where recovery is starting to show.
WHO director for the Americas and chief of the Pan American Health Organization Carissa Etienne noted that Brazil and other Latin American countries have "very tough" weeks ahead of them.
Etienne went on to warn that countries in the region should not yet ease anti-coronavirus restrictions. "Now is not the time," she said.
Brazil Records Over 1,000 Deaths
1,039 people lost their lives to COVID-19 over the last 24 hours, the Brazilian health ministry announced on Tuesday, bringing the national fatality toll to 24,512.
There were also 16,324 new coronavirus cases in the country. Brazil now has a total of 391,222 confirmed coronavirus cases and the worst is yet to come, health authorities said.
Bolsonaro's Office Allegedly Intervened with Health Ministry
The Brazilian health ministry in March already acted on the coronavirus two days after the WHO declared COVID-19 as a pandemic in March. Travel restrictions were set in place and cruises were banned.
However, four people with knowledge of the situation now revealed that in less than 24 hours, the health ministry's mandates were eased due to pressure from the office of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
Epidemiologist Julio Croda, who was also a former head of the Health Ministry's immunization and transmissible diseases department said the "correction was due to pressure."
At that time, the health ministry said the change in plans were due to "criticism and suggestions" from local communities across the country. However, the sources revealed that the turning point made by the health ministry was influenced by the Casa Civil.
The Casa Civil is the president's chief of staff office and is headed by Army general Walter Souza Braga Netto. Furthermore, another Army general is now the interim leader at the troubled health ministry.
Brazil is only second to the United States in the most number of confirmed COVID-19 cases around the world. Global health authorities have openly criticized Bolsonaro for his handling of the crisis but the president was recently seen supporting protesters in the streets without a mask on.
