Covid cases surge in North America, decline in South America, says health agency

BRASILIA - COVID-19 infections have risen by a third in North America over the past week, due to surges in the United States and Canada, where new infections have doubled in the province of Alberta, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on Wednesday.

Hospitals in Alberta are facing critical staffing shortages, according to PAHO, the regional branch of the World Health Organization.

The United States is reporting more than 100,000 new daily infections for the first time since January and hospital capacity in many southern U.S. states remains worryingly low, the agency said.