News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Thurs. June 11, 2020: One Latin American nation yesterday topped all others by adding the most new cases of the novel coronavirus in a single day, a News Americas analysis has found.
Chile added 5,737 new cases Wednesday, the highest number of cases for Latin America and higher than Brazil, the epicenter of the virus. The increase saw the total number of cases jump to 148,496 as the death toll up-ticked by 192 to 2,475.
The rise comes as Chilean senators this week reopened a debate over a bill to tighten migration at the behest of the government after a report last week suggested the country could again become a migration hotspot after the coronavirus pandemic subsides.
The bill seeks to tighten rules on how prospective immigrants can enter Chile, how they are taxed, the recognition of their qualifications, and how they can be deported if they do not meet the requirements.
More than one million people have migrated to Chile since 2014, bringing the foreign-born population to a total of 1.5 million, according to government figures.
Brazil, which has the second highest cases in the world, added 5,477 new cases to carry its tally to 747,561. The death toll rose to 38,701 as the country added 204 new deaths yesterday.
Mexico added 4,199 new cases Wednesday to move to 124,301confirmed cases as its death tally jumped by 596, the most for the region yesterday, taking the total so far to 14,649.
