Peru’s COVID crisis: ‘Almost all Peruvians know someone who died’

Cocktail of factors, from poverty to a crumbling public health system, push Peru atop global per capita death rankings.

Lima, Peru – While the world watches in horror as India’s coronavirus case count explodes, another intense outbreak is unfolding – albeit on a much smaller scale – in Peru, which sits atop the global per capita mortality rankings. The Andean nation has registered more than 4,000 excess dead per million residents since the start of the pandemic, or more than 166,815 deaths, the Financial Times reported, a 123 percent rise compared with the historical average. Excess deaths are viewed as more accurate than the official Peruvian health ministry figure of 62,126 confirmed deaths linked to the coronavirus.