This archive report was first published on 23 June 2020.
On Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) sounded the alarm over a worrying increase in coronavirus cases in several major countries, particularly in Latin America, where Brazil has become the second country to surpass 1 million cases.
According to the WHO, the world recorded more than 183,000 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, the highest number in a single day since the outbreak began in December 2019.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attributed the surge in cases to the simultaneous development of the epidemic in several populous countries, including the United States, China, and India, which have all reported new outbreaks.
WHO's top emergencies expert, Mike Ryan, noted that while increased testing may have contributed to the rise in cases, it was not the sole reason. He pointed out that some countries, such as India, have indeed increased testing, but the increase in cases was not entirely explained by this factor.
Ryan also highlighted a significant jump in cases in Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Panama, Bolivia, and Guatemala, as well as Brazil, which has reported a record 54,000 cases in the previous 24 hours.
He cautioned that the trend in Brazil might be underestimating the actual number of cases due to relatively low testing rates and high positivity rates.
Latin America's largest country has frequently recorded over 1,000 deaths a day in the past month, with President Jair Bolsonaro facing criticism for his handling of the crisis.
Bolsonaro has been accused of shunning social distancing measures and promoting unproven remedies, such as chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, for the virus.
The WHO also expressed concern over the situation in Germany, where the reproduction rate of the virus hit 2.88 on Sunday, well above the maximum level needed to contain the disease.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that a lack of global leadership and unity in fighting the virus was a bigger threat than the outbreak itself, and that politicization had made the pandemic worse.
