The United States has the highest number of coronavirus cases globally, the only country reporting seven-digit numbers of infections. Brazil is also one of the 10 most infected nations according to the WHO. Its President Jair Bolsonaro has repeatedly dismissed the virus as just a “flu”.

The United States and Brazil failed to take warnings issued by the World Health Organisation seriously right from the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, Margaret Harris, a spokesperson for the international agency, told a virtual briefing on Tuesday.