"We are particularly concerned about Central and South America, where many countries are experiencing accelerating epidemics," the World Health Organization chief executive Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.
WHO does not believe that Central or South America has reached a peak of transmission, which means that the number of sick and dying people could continue to increase.
Health officials are warning countries against reopening their economies too soon, even as countries are preparing to reopen or have already done so.
Here is an overview of the epidemics in three of the most affected countries in Latin America, which account for around 60% of the region's population. And there is also a success.
Brazil
Brazil is stuck in crisis mode.
The country has recorded at least 645,771 cases of coronavirus and 35,026 deaths.
He recently overtook Italy to become the country with the third highest death in the world and will likely overtake the United Kingdom soon.
This means that Brazil will have both the second highest number of cases and deaths in the world, behind the United States.
It should be noted, however, that Brazil tests at a much lower rate than that of the United States. This means that many cases are not registered.
In the country's most populous state, São Paulo, the coordinator of the Ministry of Health said that some cases of coronavirus had probably been registered as severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, due to the low Covid- testing capacity. 19 of the State.
A study published this week by the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul indicates that Brazil will register 1 million cases and 50,000 deaths by June 20.
Meanwhile, some of the big cities in Brazil are starting to reopen. Rio de Janeiro allows non-essential businesses like churches, car stores, and home decor stores to accept customers again.
Mexico
Two things happened in Mexico this week that seem to contradict each other.
First, Mexico experienced its worst week of epidemic, both in confirmed cases and in deaths.
It recorded for the first time more than 1,000 deaths in a single day. And for three consecutive days, it recorded one-day highs in new cases.
Despite the gloomy numbers and conflicting messages from heads of government, officials have implemented a plan to gradually reopen across the country.
Assistant Secretary of Health Hugo López Gatell, who heads Mexico's response to Covid-19, urged the Mexicans to stay at home. He stressed that the country has not come out of the woods, even if certain sectors of the economy are starting to reopen.
But President Andrés Manuel López Obrador launched a different message.
"Don't steal, don't steal, don't betray, and it helps a lot not to get the coronavirus," he said on Thursday. He also told people to distance themselves socially when they could and to wash their hands.
AMLO, as its president knows, ventured to Mexico City on Monday for the first time since the end of March.
He visited the Yucatán peninsula and inaugurated the construction of the so-called Maya Train, an ambitious infrastructure project that will link the cities of five states in the southeast.
Mexico recorded 110,026 cases and 13,170 deaths. But given the extremely low screening rates in the country, health officials said the real number of cases would likely be in the millions.
Peru
People from Callao, Peru, stood in line for hours this week to fill their tanks with oxygen. But once they got to the front line, loved ones of Covid-19 patients found skyrocketing prices.
One person told CNN TVPerú Noticias affiliate that the price of oxygen had doubled. And the government now admits that there is a problem.
"Our mission is to avoid the development of a black market that is mercantile and uses a pandemic to abuse people," said Cesar Chaname, spokesperson for the Peruvian public health agency.
Peru continues to face one of the worst epidemics in Latin America, its 187,400 cases being the second highest in the region behind Brazil.
The country has much better screening rates than other countries in the region, which experts say helps to understand how serious the epidemic is.
But even with this knowledge, the economic record has prompted the authorities to reopen the economy.
This week, officials announced that Peru will begin phase 2 of its reopening plan, where businesses such as clothing stores and hair salons could operate again.
Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra said these measures would mean that around 80% of the economy would soon be open.
"We cannot meet 100% of the country's needs with only 50% of the economy's output," he said.
Uruguay
Despite the brutal situations faced by many Latin American countries, there are also some successes. Consider Uruguay, so far, with one of the most successful Covid-19 responses in the world.
The country, which has a population of around 3.5 million, borders on Brazil, where the worst epidemic in Latin America has had devastating effects.
But Uruguay has only recorded 834 cases. He has recorded one death since May 24 and only 23 deaths in total.
Experts say there are many reasons for the country's success - a quick and solid response including quarantine measures, a large and efficient system for tracing and isolating infected people, randomized testing and the creation of a committee. response to crises.
Consequently, the risk is reduced as Uruguay begins to reopen its economy.
The country started to relax restrictions in early May. On June 1, primary and secondary rural education resumed in more than 400 schools, and businesses are also allowed to reopen gradually.