Peru and Mexico, both LatAm countries, surpass 500,000 coronavirus cases each

Peru surpassed half a million coronavirus cases and has the highest fatality rate in Latin America, according to health ministry data released on Thursday, as the government struggles to contain a recent surge of infections.

There have been 507,996 confirmed cases and 25,648 related deaths, vice health minister Luis Suarez said at a news conference.

The Andean country has the highest coronavirus death rate in Latin America at 78.6 per 100,000 people, a Reuters tally shows, surpassing hard-hit regional neighbors Chile and Brazil.

President Martin Vizcarra, speaking earlier on Thursday from a public event to pay tribute to 120 doctors who have died from COVID-19, blamed the recent spike in infections on an uptick in social and sporting events and a lax attitude by the public.

Vizcarra on Wednesday banned family gatherings, reinstated a blanket Sunday curfew and extended lockdowns to five more regions of the country as figures revealed a 75% surge in infections among children and adolescents.

Meanwhile, Mexico's health ministry on Thursday reported 7,371 new confirmed cases of coronavirus and 627 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 505,751 cases and 55,293 deaths.

The government has said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases.

Mexico reportedly will help produce a vaccine that could be distributed in the region next year, authorities said on Thursday.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has said the pandemic is losing force in Mexico, though the death toll of 54,666 stands as the world's third highest, behind the United States and Brazil.

In partnership with the Mexican and Argentine governments, pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca Plc said it plans to initially produce 150 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine in early 2021 and eventually make at least 400 million for distribution throughout the region.

Lopez Obrador hailed the agreement as "good news" for Mexico and said he expected the country to still be suffering from the pandemic by the time the vaccine goes into production.

(with inputs from agencies)