‘This is tragic’: fears for Latin America’s young people as Covid accelerates

• PAHO chief warns increasing number of young people dying
• Latin America last week suffered over a third of all virus deaths

An increasing number of young lives are being extinguished as Covid-19 accelerates across Latin America and the Caribbean, the head of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has warned.

Dr Carissa F Etienne, the group's Dominican director, said she feared that with infections surging in countries including Argentina, Colombia, Guatemala and the Guyanas the next three months could bring further pain to a region already reeling from the 14-month pandemic. Latin America is home to 8% of the global population but last week suffered more than a third of all Covid deaths - a growing proportion of them young people.