The total number of confirmed COVID cases across the globe has now topped 150 million. This comes as coronavirus deaths are also soaring across Latin America, which recorded more than a third of global COVID deaths last week as it faces a major vaccine shortage. On Thursday, Argentina recorded 561 new deaths, its highest daily death toll since the start of the pandemic. Colombia, Peru and Uruguay are experiencing a new surge in cases. And Brazil’s official death toll has topped 400,000 — the second highest in the world behind the United States.