Prognosis

Test Scarcity Means Latin America Is ‘Walking Blindly’ on Virus

A dozen doctor interviews hint spread is worse than data shows
Brazil and Mexico test fewer than 260 people per million

Medical workers enter a field hospital in Caracas on April 4.Photographer: Adriana Loureiro Fernandez/Bloomberg

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By Carolina Millan, Andrea Navarro, and Stephan Kueffner

April 8, 2020 at 12:00 PM UTC

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Ask top doctors in Latin America’s biggest cities if they trust the coronavirus numbers coming from their governments and many will give you a damning verdict: Not by a long shot.