Health Ministry: Brazil has 290 Covid-19 cases, 1 death

Mar 17, 2020 19:53 1 min read (Updated: Jan 22, 2021 19:05)

Brazil’s Health Ministry released its updated coronavirus numbers this afternoon.

8,819 suspected cases
1,890 discarded cases
290 confirmed cases
1 death

The ministry also declared that two states are experiencing local transmission: São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro.

O @minsaude atualiza a situação do #coronavírus no Brasil em 17/03, às 16h:

➡️8.819 casos suspeitos
➡️1.890 casos descartados
➡️290 casos confirmados
➡️1 óbito

Dois estados têm transmissão comunitária: SP e RJ.
Saiba mais em https://t.co/UYm3jliCGA #COVID19
— Ministério da Saúde (@minsaude) March 17, 2020

According to Julio Croda, director of the Department of Immunization and Transmissible Diseases, Brazil is using an automatic system to record its coronavirus cases. The process is being used as the number of cases keep on growing. Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta defended the Brazilian system, saying that “many countries in the world have seen their systems collapse.” Mr. Mandetta also defended the use of telemedicine to help treat Covid-19 cases. Mr. Mandetta opined that Brazil will only return to normal activity in “August or September.”