Coronavirus
PAHO data suggests the Americas experienced highest increase in COVID-19 cases over the last week
The data also shows that the highest number of infections were reported in the United States, followed by Canada and Argentina.
December 30, 2021 2:00pm
Updated: December 30, 2021 9:15pm
New COVID-19 cases increased by 50 percent in the Americas over the past week, while deaths associated with the coronavirus rose by 11 percent, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reported on Wednesday.
According to a PAHO press release, between Dec. 19 and 25, cases in more than half of the countries in the region increased by over 20 percent, which is the “biggest rise in cases worldwide.”
The data also shows that the highest number of infections were reported in the United States, followed by Canada and Argentina.
In Central America, there does not appear to be evidence of an infection surge, except in Panama and Belize, where certain regions have reported a sharp rise in new cases.
In the Andean region, Bolivia reported the highest increase, but cases have also surged in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
In the Southern Cone, COVID-19 infections increased in Paraguay and Uruguay — but decreased in Brazil.
In the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica recorded significant increases, while Trinidad and Tobago reported a decrease in cases.
In the press release, PAHO continued to warn “that the increase in SARS-CoV-2 virus circulation in several countries, coupled with greater personal contact due to the holiday and vacation season, may lead to a rise in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in the coming weeks.”
Since the start of the pandemic in Dec. 2019, more than 5.4 million people have died across the globe — but the World Health Organization has warned that that figure might actually be 2-3 times higher as many cases have gone unreported.
Over the past week, omicron has caused a serious spike in COVID-19 cases worldwide and official figures suggest that 935,863 new cases have been reported daily over the past seven days.
This figure is significantly higher than the previous record, reached between April 23 and 29, with 817,000 cases per day, and represents an increase of 37 percent compared to the previous week.
