WHO’s Etienne: Nearly half of all COVID-19 cases globally can be found in the Americas

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional Director for the Americas, Carissa Etienne, in a virtual briefing from Washington late Wednesday, warned against the continuous rise in the coronavirus cases in the US.

Key quotes

As of June 23, there have been more than 4.5 million COVID-19 cases and 226,000 deaths reported in the Americas.

“The Caribbean was faring better but with hot spots flaring on the border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, as well as in an area encompassing Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.”

“The region must be realistic and adjust to a new way of life with COVID-19.”

Separately, Marcos Espinal, Communicable Diseases Director of the WHO’s Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), said that “Brazil, the worst hit nation in Latin America, has increased testing in the last few weeks but is still not doing enough.”