Argentina breaches 100,000 COVID deaths amid deepening crisis | Al Jazeera

Argentina has become the fifth country in Latin America to surpass 100,000 deaths linked to COVID-19, as the country suffers a surge in coronavirus cases that have strained its healthcare network and worsened an already dire economic crisis.

On Wednesday, the Argentinian health ministry said that the country registered 614 new deaths during the last 24 hours.

It has now reported 100,250 coronavirus deaths and 4.7 million cases since the pandemic began, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

Argentina has been one of the hardest-hit countries in Latin America, but daily average cases have fallen since a peak last month and ICU bed occupancy is coming down, although still above 60 percent nationwide.

The head of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Carissa Etienne, warned on Wednesday that “infections are once again mounting” in the country, however.

“Cases rise when complacency sets in. We are all tired, but after experiencing successive peaks of infections in the same locations, we must break this cycle by embracing public health measures early and consistently,” Etienne said during a weekly news briefing.