| COVID-19 pandemic in South America | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Disease | COVID-19 |
| Virus strain | SARS-CoV-2 |
| Location | South America |
| First outbreak | Wuhan, Hubei, China |
| Index case | São Paulo, Brazil |
| Arrival date | 26 February 2020 (4 years, 8 months, 3 weeks and 5 days ago) |
| Confirmed cases | 67,331,547[1] |
| Recovered | 65,102,593[1] |
Deaths | 1,344,031[1] |
Territories | 14[1] |
| Part of a series on the |
| COVID-19 pandemic |
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.svg){kind=small} COVID-19 portal |
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached South America on 26 February 2020 when Brazil confirmed a case in São Paulo.[2] By 3 April, all countries and territories in South America had recorded at least one case.[3]
On 13 May 2020, it was reported that Latin America and the Caribbean had reported over 400,000 cases of COVID-19 infection with, 23,091 deaths. On 22 May 2020, citing the rapid increase of infections in Brazil, the World Health Organization declared South America the epicentre of the pandemic.[4][5]
As of 12 January 2023, South America had recorded 67,331,547 confirmed cases and 1,344,031 deaths from COVID-19. Due to a shortage of testing and medical facilities, it is believed that the outbreak is far larger than the official numbers show.[6]
- ^ a b c d "Coronavirus update (live)". 20 March 2020. Archived from the original on 29 January 2020.
- ^ Horwitz L, Nagovitch P, Sonnel HK, Zissis C. "Where Is the Coronavirus in Latin America?". AS/COA. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- ^ "Uncollected bodies lie for days in the streets of Ecuador the emerging epicentre of the coronavirus in Latin America". Stuff/Fairfax. 4 April 2020.
- ^ "WHO declares that South America is the new coronavirus epicenter". The Washington Post. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
- ^ Ward, Alex (26 May 2020). "How South America became a coronavirus epicenter". Vox. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ "How Brazil went from carnival floats to mass graves. Photos show what it's like in the world's latest coronavirus hotspot". Business Insider. Retrieved 28 May 2020.