As the global COVID-19 total passed 5 million last week, cases in Latin America—the current epicenter—passed the United States and Europe in number of cases, and though Brazil's total is highest in the region, health officials are worried about an even higher incidence in Chile and Peru, where outbreaks are accelerating.The global total today climbed to 5,550,399 cases, and 348,447 deaths have been reported, according to the Johns Hopkins online dashboard.Multiple South American hot spotsThe assessment came from the director of the World Health Organization (WHO's) Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Carissa Etienne, MBBS, MSc, at a media briefing today.