Peru poised to overtake Italy, Spain in COVID-19 cases

Peru's Health Ministry on Tuesday said confirmed cases of the new coronavirus have risen above 200,000, with 5,738 deaths.

A spokesman for the ministry said a total of 203,736 cases were now confirmed. The country registered its first case on March 6 and has seen a surge amid a rigorous testing regime, but also high levels of poverty and informal labor complicating self-isolation efforts.

The number of infections in the country is the second highest in Latin America, after Brazil, and eighth globally.