The steady rise in coronavirus cases across Latin America, particularly Brazil, is worrying health authorities around the globe, especially with the resurgence of new outbreaks.

WHO Expresses Concerns Over Brazil's Daily Cases

In Brazil, new COVID-19 cases are still on the rise and the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday warned of "worrying increases" in the region's daily infections toll.

The warnings came hours after Brazil reported a daily record-high of 54,000 new infections over the weekend, marking a striking difference compared to other countries such as the United States wherein some states are experiencing a decline in daily new infections.

Chief emergencies expert in WHO, Mike Ryan noted that in Brazil the testing capacity per population is still "relatively low." He added that instead of widespread testing as with other countries contributing to the massive spike in new cases, the Latin American nation's increase in infections may be going through a trend of "under-estimating the actual number."

Furthermore, Brazil's COVID-19 fatalities have not declined as the country has been logging over 1,000 deaths daily in the past month.

Citizens Flock Beaches Despite Mounting Cases and Deaths

Despite earlier warnings from the WHO and other health experts in the country, the weekend marked one of the busiest days in Brazil as crowds hit the beach. It was also during the weekend when the country passed the 1 million mark in confirmed coronavirus infections.

In photos from beaches across Brazil, people were seen rejecting the need for face masks. Many others were also photographed not abiding by the WHO's guidelines of proper social distancing.

After the weekend's beach blunder, Rio de Janeiro's health secretary Fernando Ferry announced that he will resign from his post. Speaking about his decision to step down, Ferry said, "I have only one thing to say: I tried."

Political tensions in the Brazilian government have also been in the center of the country's coronavirus battle. Over the past months, officials have been removed from their post or either stepped down amid contradicting beliefs in handling the crisis.

Unofficial COVID-19 Deaths

Deaths across the country have steadily risen over the past weeks as multiple states lift lockdowns and movement control orders.

Fatalities that have yet to be confirmed as coronavirus cases but were linked to respiratory infections have reached 23,171 between the period of January 1 and June 6. These deaths have also raised concerns about the testing capacity of the health authority.

Most health experts in Brazil believe that the unofficial deaths may be undetected coronavirus cases, as earlier suggested by health groups regarding the official number of confirmed cases and deaths in the country being greater than what is released to the public.

As of Monday, Brazil has logged a total of 1,111,348 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 51,407 deaths from the fast-spreading disease.