MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – The number of confirmed coronavirus deaths in Latin America passed 300,000 on Wednesday, according to a Reuters tally, with the virus showing no signs of abating in the world’s worst hit region.
Latin America passed the latest grim milestone after Brazil, which has the highest death toll in the region, reported an additional 1,075 deaths to bring its coronavirus tally to 128,539 fatalities.
Countries across Latin America, which has recorded close to 8 million COVID-19 cases, are also battling to mitigate a deep economic recession due to containment measures implemented to contain the virus.
Mexico, Peru and Colombia have registered the highest number of coronavirus victims after Brazil, with Latin America reporting a daily average of 2,811 deaths in the last seven days until Tuesday.
The death toll in North America is inching towards 200,000 fatalities, with almost 190,000 deaths recorded in the United States, the world’s worst impacted country. Europe’s coronavirus toll stands at about 211,000, according to the Reuters tally.
The last 100,000 deaths occurred over 39 days, according to the Reuters count based on figures released by governments.
(Reporting by Daniela Desantis; Writing by Drazen Jorgic; Editing by Richard Chang)
