COVID-19 outbreak reaches plateau in Brazil: WHO

BOGOTA, Colombia

The coronavirus outbreak reached a "plateau" in Brazil, the World Health Organization said Friday, urging the South American nation to take advantage of “an opportunity” to control contagion.

“The rise in Brazil is no longer exponential,” WHO Executive Director Michael Ryan said in a news conference. Brazil should seize the chance “to push the disease down, to suppress the transmission of the virus, to take control,” he said.

Brazil surpassed 2 million infections Thursday and Friday it reported 34,177 new cases and 1,163 deaths from the virus. It has registered more than 2,046,328 infections and almost 78,000 deaths.

Bolivia

Seven Cabinet ministers in the administration of Jeanine Ánez tested positive for COVID-19 in less than a month. The latest to confirm diagnosis was Minister of Productive Development and Plural Economy Jose Abel Martínez.

"He is asymptomatic" and "will comply with the isolation recommended by the protocol and continue his activities from home," said a statement.

The ministers of foreign affairs, health, mining, hydrocarbons and economy and public finance, and Anez, have all fallen victim to coronavirus.

Bolivia has 54,156 cases and 1,984 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Mexico

Mexico surpassed Chile with the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19. It has the fourth-highest death toll globally from the virus and registered 37,574 fatalities and 324,041 infections.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has encouraged the nation to get out and has resisted reimposing additional nationwide restrictions despite a rise in cases.

Argentina

The government announced Friday it will gradually loosen a lockdown that has lasted four months in and around Buenos Aires, although it recorded its highest number of new cases.

The nation has 119,301 confirmed cases and 2,178 deaths.