BRASILIA: The World Health Organization's regional director for the Americas Carissa Etienne said on Tuesday that the region is fast approaching 4 million cases of coronavirus and the pandemic continues to accelerate.

Speaking in a virtual briefing from Washington-based Pan American Health Organization, Etienne said Brazil accounts for 23pc of the more than 3.8 million cases in the Americas and 23pc of the almost 204,000 deaths in the region and "we are not seeing transmission slowing down."