Coronavirus

Once again, Brazil confirms over 1,000 deaths in one day

Once again, Brazil confirms over 1,000 deaths in one day

According to the latest coronavirus update by Brazil’s Health Ministry, the country has recorded 1,071 deaths over the past 24 hours, adding to a total tally of 71,469. The total number of cases in Brazil is now 1,839,850 — second only to the U.S. 

For the past five days, the daily death toll has topped the 1,000 mark — that has been the case in ten of the last 12 days. Still, President Jair Bolsonaro (who has himself been infected) continues to belittle the severity of the pandemic — comparing catching the coronavirus to “catching a little rain.”

In ten states, the number of deaths is trending up, according to a consortium of mainstream media outlets that compile death from state authorities. They consider the situation of the outbreak in a given state as “stable” if the variation of the number of daily deaths is below 15 percent.

The real number of infections and deaths is likely much higher than official tallies suggest. Some researchers estimate the coronavirus has infected eight times more people than confirmed infections. According to the Open Knowledge Foundation, half of the Brazilian states don’t report suspected cases — and Brazil has been one of the countries with the lowest testing rates.

While the outbreak shows no sign of slowing down, state governors continue to reopen their economy.