US DEATH TOLL FROM CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC TOPS 100K AS INFECTION RATES STILL RISING

AS THE U.S. death toll from the coronavirus pandemic climbs closer to 100,000, other countries, especially in Latin America, are struggling with rising infection rates. The U.S. remains the hardest-hit nation in the world with a grim mark that President Donald Trump once predicted the country would never see. Trump has weathered a torrent of criticism for his handling of the crisis and for not wearing a mask in public despite recommendations from his own administration’s experts.

All 50 states have begun easing their stay-at-home restrictions and allowing businesses to open their doors again, even as some parts of the country see no drop-off in confirmed coronavirus cases. There is also some optimism about the race for a vaccine.

Worldwide, the virus has infected nearly 5.5 million people, killing over 346,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Europe has recorded about 170,000 deaths, while the U.S. was approaching 100,000, more than the number of Americans killed in the Vietnam and Korean wars combined. But the true toll is widely believed to be significantly higher, with experts saying many victims died of the virus without ever being tested for it.

With about 730,000 cases out of the 5 million globally and more than 39,500 deaths from COVID-19 reported as of May 25, Latin America has outpaced Europe and the United States in the number of daily infections. The Americas have emerged as the new epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a Tuesday briefing, as a U.S. study forecast deaths surging in Brazil and other Latin American countries through August.

Brazil reported the highest daily COVID-19 death toll in the world Tuesday with 1,039 people killed, the fifth straight day the country has topped the list.

International health authorities expressed concern Tuesday over signs the spread of the new coronavirus is still accelerating in Brazil, Peru and Chile. “In South America, we are particularly concerned that the number of new cases reported last week in Brazil was the highest for a seven-day period since the outbreak began,” said Carissa Etienne, director of the Washington-based Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). “Both Peru and Chile are also reporting a high incidence, a sign that transmission is still accelerating in these countries,” she said at a weekly briefing.