WHO says Americas are new epicenter of coronavirus outbreak as cases in Brazil surge

The World Health Organization said Tuesday it now considers the Americas to be the latest epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic.

The number of new cases in Brazil have skyrocketed in recent weeks, while the country has reported the highest number of deaths from the virus in the world for a seven-day period, Reuters reported.

Carissa Etienne, WHO’s director for the Americas and head of the Pan American Health Organization, said during a video conference Tuesday that North and South America are the latest epicenter for the virus after the United Nations-backed agency has seen spikes in COVID-19 cases in South American countries.

Brazil — with a population of 208.5 million — has reported 374,898 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 23,473 deaths and 153,833 recoveries, according to the Johns Hopkins University. But experts and humanitarian organizations have warned that the true numbers are likely much higher due to a lack of testing.

The country’s figures are second only to the U.S., which has reported over 1.6 million cases, 98,493 deaths and 379,157 recoveries. The U.S. population currently stands at 328 million.