At the edge of Argentina in a city known as “The End of the World”, many thought they might be spared from the worst of the coronavirus pandemic. Sitting far from the South American nation’s bustling capital, health workers in Ushuaia were initially able to contain a small outbreak among foreigners hoping to catch boats to the Antarctic at the start of the crisis. But as Argentina passed 1 million virus cases o Monday, it’s smaller cities like Ushuaia that are seeing some of the most notable upticks. Doctors have had to quadruple the number of beds for Covid-19 patients over the last month. At least 60 per cent of those tested recently were coming back positive for the virus. Global coronavirus cases surpass 40 million as pace of pandemic picks up “We were the example of the country,” said Dr Carlos Guglielmi, director of the Ushuaia Regional Hospital. “Evidently someone arrived with the coronavirus.” Brazil was the first country in South America to pass the 1 million mark of cases in June. The country’s number of infections has since grown to over 5.2 million, behind only the United States with 8.1 million and India with 7.5 million cases. Across Latin America, three other nations were expected to reach the 1 million case milestone in the coming weeks – Colombia, Mexico and Peru. The grim mark comes as Latin America continues to register some of the world’s highest daily case counts. And though some nations have seen important declines, overall there has been little relief, with cases dropping in one municipality only to escalate in another. The trajectory is showing that the pandemic is likely to leave no corner of Latin America unscathed. “The second wave is arriving without ever having finished the first,” said Dr Luis Jorge Hernandez, a public health professor at the University of the Andes in Colombia. Tests show vaccine by China’s Sinovac is safe, says Brazil’s Butantan Institute The virus’ cruel path through Latin America is a consequence of weak public health systems, social factors like poverty and poor government decisions early on that resulted in flawed or limited testing and little contact tracing. The explosion in cases in Argentina has strained hospitals. In some provinces, health care systems were on the brink of becoming overwhelmed. “I would like this to end now. I cannot continue at this pace,” said Cynthia Jimenez, a resident intensive care doctor at Hospital Posadas in Buenos Aires province, the country’s hardest hit area. “It tires you to see people who come ill with respiratory failure and you have to save them,” she added. “And you know that if you intubate them, it will end badly for many. That hurts.” After coronavirus pandemic hit, Brazil island became land of ‘cannibal cats’ Argentina imposed strict quarantine measures on March 20, soon after the country’s first Covid-19 case was confirmed, which initially helped slow the virus’ spread. The government has since eased restrictions in many parts of the country to help revive economic growth, leading to a rise in infections. More than 26,000 people have died, for a Covid-19 fatality rate of about 2.7 per cent, according to Health Ministry data. Argentina’s borders remain closed to tourism, though domestic flights have resumed for people with government approval to travel for medical, family or work reasons. Associated Press, Reuters and DPA
