Uncertainty about the behavior of the Covid-19 pandemic is growing in the Americas, as the number of positive cases and deaths increase in the region.
According to statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), 247,473 cases and 5,600 deaths had been reported until Thursday.
The United States ranks first with 213,600 positive cases and 4,793 deaths, as its health system cannot cope with the medical emergency.
By the number of deaths by Covid-19, Brazil comes next with 241; followed by Canada with 127; Ecuador with 120; the Dominican Republic with 57; Peru with 41; Mexico with 37; Panama with 32; Argentina with 31; Honduras with 14; Chile with 18 and Puerto Rico with 12.
With fewer than ten deaths by the diseased caused by the Sars-Cov2 coronavirus are Bolivia with eight; Cuba and Guadaloupe with six; Trinidad and Tobago with five; Uruguay and Guyana with four; and Paraguay, Jamaica, Venezuela and Martinique with three each.
Saint Martin, El Salvador and Costa Rica have reported two deaths each, while Nicaragua, the Cayman Islands, Guatemala, Curacao and the Bahamas have one death each.
In Ecuador’s case, the city of Guayaquil is the hardest hit by Covid-19 and the total number of deaths and positive cases is unknown.
The Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, said that the Caribbean region is experiencing an unexpected economic decline following the declaration of the Covid-19 coronavirus as a pandemic.
In view of this situation, he sent a letter on behalf of the member nations to the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), requesting specific financial attention.
He stressed that Caribbean nations are dealing with significant economic losses related to tourism, and the catastrophic effects of hurricanes.
According to Browne, some countries in the area have seen their gross domestic product (GDP) fall by as much as 20 percent, with the possibility of prolonged deterioration, due to the pandemic.
In a letter to the managing director of the IMF, Kristalina Georgieva, and the president of the WB Group, David Malpass, Browne requested a suspension of per capita income as a criterion for financing on favorable terms.
He also called for debt relief, including suspension of debt payments, cancellation of maturing debts, particularly by the Paris Club, and budget support through a combination of grants and low-cost country loans.
(PL)
