But as Argentines emerge from their shells, they’re getting sick, undoing what had been one of the globe’s strongest performances against the novel coronavirus. In less than two months, new cases have grown threefold, to top 12,000 a day.

“If there are more infections, we will not be able to handle them,” said Dubin, head of intensive care at Otamendi Hospital. “We are at our limit, and losing more and more of our colleagues to this fight.”

Seven months after Latin America diagnosed its first case of covid-19, the region continues to rack up some of the worst numbers in the world — failing to flatten its curve as it reels from persistently high infection levels and devastating mortality rates.

Close quarters and multigenerational households have undermined attempts at social distancing. Inequality is high, health care uneven and safety nets limited. The region’s many poor people must work to live, and they have routinely violated lockdowns to eat. Porous borders have made it difficult to quarantine infected travelers.