Bikers wearing face masks cycle past pedestrians walking across the Villena bridge in the Miraflores neighborhood of Lima, Peru, Oct 11, 2020. (MARTIN MEJIA / AP)
Peru, which has the world’s highest per capita death toll from the new coronavirus, set another grim record by becoming the first country to record more than 100 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, as global coronavirus cases surpassed the 40 million mark.
Peru, with a population of 33 million people, reported 33,759 confirmed deaths from COVID-19 as of Sunday. With 105 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, Peru leads the world in the mortality metric ahead of Belgium with 90, and followed by Bolivia and Brazil with rates of 74 and 73 respectively.
ALSO READ: Peru now world's deadliest COVID-19 pandemic hot spot
Still, after infecting about a third of Peru’s population, according to government estimates, the virus outbreak has abated in recent weeks. Daily deaths over the last five days averaged 68 on Thursday, compared with 115 a month earlier and more than 200 through much of August, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients has more than halved since mid-August.
With 105 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, Peru leads the world in the mortality metric ahead of Belgium, followed by Bolivia and Brazil
Last week, the Health Ministry halted the use of three medicines to treat hospitalized patients with COVID-19 after a study found in some cases they increased the risk of death by 84 percent.
Peru restarted international flights to some South American countries this month and plans to reopen its iconic Machu Picchu archaeological site and other tourist attractions next month.
READ MORE: Peru opens Machu Picchu for a single tourist after 7-month wait
Unofficial estimates put Peru’s death toll at more than double the official count. Confirmed and suspected deaths attributable the virus are about 77,400, epidemiologist Cesar Carcamo, a government adviser on the pandemic, told La Republica newspaper Oct 9.
