COVID cases worldwide jumped by 25 percent in one week, with India and Brazil having the most infections behind the United States.

Meanwhile, deaths went up 10 percent, 48,764 for a death toll of 5,556,887, with the previous seven days reporting a one percent increase, according to a United Press International report.

COVID cases increased by 76 percent in one week in South America, while deaths were up to 40 percent.

Cases of infection in Brazil rose by 129 percent to 22,975,723, with deaths jumping by 22 percent to 621,007.

Experts were having a hard time tracking the spread of the highly-contagious Omicron variant in Brazil, which was attributed to insufficient testing and a data blackout that was caused by hackers, according to a Reuters report.

However, there are signs that the variant is affecting Latin America's largest nation hard, with experts believing that the actual number of infections is much higher.

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Brazil COVID rates Amid Omicron Variant

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been widely scrutinized for his response to the pandemic. He had opposed lockdowns while refusing to wear a mask in public and choosing not to get vaccinated.

Hospitals are also suffering staff shortages, with doctors and nurses self-isolating after testing positive for the virus.

César Eduardo Fernandes, head of the Brazilian Medical Association, said that if one does not know a friend who got the virus at the moment, "it means you don't have any friends."

He added that the situation is worrying as it could be possible that some services will collapse.

One Sao Paulo physicians' union threatened on Friday a strike by doctors staffing public clinics. The union noted that the front-line doctors were suffering from exhaustion and understaffing as infected colleagues were forced to isolate themselves.

Health care facilities in Brazil are not the only ones affected by the pandemic. The spread of the virus has also been threatening to cripple the nation's economy.

Brazil's National Association of Restaurants noted 85 percent of its members are dealing with staff absences, with 20 percent of the workforce out.

The country's Health Ministry reduced the quarantine period for asymptomatic COVID patients to seven days from 10 days.

In addition, several Brazilian states have canceled Carnival celebrations to curb the spread of the virus.

Latin America Amid the Pandemic

Argentina seems to be the South American country worst hit by the Omicron variant, according to an earlier report of The Guardian.

Over 50 percent of South America's daily cases were registered in Argentina, with just 11 percent of its population. In addition, it had the world's seventh-highest number of daily cases.

Peru has one of the world's worst per-capital death tolls. The country is also suffering from more confirmed infections in the first week of January as compared to the second wave in early 2021.

Mexico was not excluded from the wide impact of the pandemic, with its President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announcing that he had tested positive for the second time in a year and was isolating.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Livelihoods destroyed by pandemic in Brazil | COVID-19 Special - from DW News