An archbishop in Peru has filled his cathedral in the capital, Lima, with more than 5,000 photographs of Covid-19 victims, and warned more people face death by starvation as a result of the economic crisis brought by the pandemic.
When the 84 pews were filled with the images, church workers covered the bases of the building’s columns. The victims included police officers, firemen and street-sweepers, and many died without receiving appropriate medical care, according to local media.
In a message broadcast during Sunday’s Mass, Archbishop Carlos Castillo sharply criticised the country’s health system, saying it was based “on egotism and on business and not on mercy and solidarity with the people,” AP news agency reports.
“An even harder moment is coming,” he was quoted as saying. “It would be terrible if in the times to come we have thousands of these photos – but dead of hunger.”
Peru has confirmed 6,688 Covid-related deaths and 229,736 cases. It has the second-highest numbers of deaths and infections in South America, after Brazil.
Coronavirus cases have been rising sharply in many Latin American countries and health authorities there say it’s now the epicentre of the global pandemic.
Brazil has had more than 800,000 confirmed cases – the second highest in the world.
Other countries in the region, including Mexico, Chile and Peru, are also struggling to contain major outbreaks.
With new confirmed cases in the US plateauing and many European countries reporting declining numbers, what are the trends in Latin America?
The first confirmed case in Latin America was identified in Brazil on 26 February, although researchers have said there are indications that there were cases there as early as January.
Coronavirus has since spread to every country in the region.
More than 1,500,000 cases have been recorded, and more than 70,000 people have died, according to the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
This is fewer cases and deaths than in Europe and the US, but testing is nowhere near as widespread and deaths may be under-reported.
Latin America’s two most populous nations, Brazil and Mexico, have seen the highest number of deaths, more than 40,000 and 15,000 respectively.
Peru has the 8th highest number of reported cases in the world, and more than 6,000 confirmed deaths.
And researchers say these countries could be significantly under-reporting deaths, with many cases going undiagnosed.
Chile is reporting thousands of new coronavirus cases each day, with more than 2,600 people dead.
Ecuador has seen the most deaths per capita in the region – with around 22 per 100,000 people. Reported daily cases in Ecuador have been stabilising, but this is not the trend in many other countries in the region.
