USHUAIA, Argentina (AP) — At the edge of Argentina in a city known as “The End of the World,” many thought they might be spared from the worst of the coronavirus pandemic.

But as Argentina passed 1 million virus cases Monday, it is now smaller cities like Ushuaia that are seeing some of the most notable upticks.

Across Latin America, three other nations are expected to reach the 1 million case milestone in the coming weeks — Colombia, Mexico and Peru.

Colombia’s major cities have seen a dip, but smaller areas like the department of Caldas in the coffee region are only now reaching a peak.

The result is that rather than a second virus wave like that being seen in Europe, epidemiologists anticipate a more sustained, plateau-like trend.

The virus’ cruel path through Latin America is a consequence of weak public health systems, social factors like poverty and poor government decisions early on that resulted in flawed or limited testing and little contact tracing.

Today, 65% of Argentina’s cases are in its provinces and even faraway places like Ushuaia, authorities said.

That can be seen not just in Argentina but in Colombia as well.

Officials say the slower rise in cases allowed them to expand ICU capacity.

Brazil reached 1 million cases in June and now is up to 5.2 million for the pandemic.

In Ushuaia, officials believe truckers carrying in produce from the Buenos AIres region may be responsible for the rise in cases since mid-September.

The Tierra del Fuego province, which has a population of about 150,000, now has over 8,000 confirmed cases.