Although coping, America is suffering most due to COVID-19, says WHO

As North and South America made it into the top four of the 10 worst COVID-19-hit countries in the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday said that the Americas are bearing the brunt of the pandemic at present.

Highlighting the problems in Brazil and Mexico, Mike Ryan, WHO’s top emergency expert said the virus was “highly active” in Central and South America. The current situation in Brazil, now one of the global hotspots for the virus, was of increasing concern, especially in heavily-populated cities, he told a news conference.

“The country’s health system was “still coping”, although some intensive care units were at a critical stage and under heavy pressure with more than 90 per cent bed occupancy rates,” Ryan told Reuters.

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The WHO said, Mexico has nearly 130,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and more than 15,000 deaths. Brazil being the second worst-hit country in the world accounted for more than 800,000 cases and 41,000 deaths.

Both countries lag behind the United States, the worst-hit country, which has had more than two million cases and nearly 114,000 deaths.

“We are very much in the upswing of this pandemic, particularly in the global South,” Ryan said.

“Some countries are having trouble exiting the so-called lockdowns as they are seeing an increase in cases.It was possible the disease was spreading again as societies reopened and people began meeting again,” he added.

He, however, acknowledged the pressures on countries to get back to normal, especially to reduce the economic damage the crisis has wrought.

“There is a careful balance between keeping people at home and the untoward effect of that on economic and society. That is not an easy balance. There are no correct answers,” Ryan said.

Ryan said although some countries appeared to be over the worst of the virus, clusters of the disease were still occurring.

WHO Director-General Tedros said that vigilance was required worldwide against the “very dangerous virus” even in regions where it appeared to be on the wane.

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“Our fear is although it is declining in Europe, it is increasing in other parts of the world. Even Europe cannot be safe because the virus can be reintroduced to Europe,” he said.

He also added that the vaccines if and whenever developed should be made available as a global public good to ensure everyone had fair access to it.