Coronavirus: Brazil's daily death toll hits 1,000 for first time

[Eugene]

Source: BBC

Coronavirus: Brazil's daily death toll hits 1,000 for first time

20 May 2020

Brazil has reported more than 1,000 deaths in a single day from coronavirus for the first time amid warnings the outbreak is weeks away from its peak.

The country has 271,628 confirmed cases but the true number is likely to be higher because of insufficient testing.

Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has repeatedly played down the risks of Covid-19.

On Tuesday he again defended use of the unproven drug chloroquine as a remedy, despite alerts it may be unsafe.

Mr Bolsonaro's repeated defiance of public health expert advice on Covid-19 has led to the resignation of two trained doctors as health minister in the past month.

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Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-52735178

[Judi Lynn]

1. Brazil Surpasses the Mark of More than a Thousand Coronavirus Daily Deaths

Country recorded 1,179 new deaths in 24 hours; Covid-19 is now the leading cause of mortality in the country
May.20.2020 2:12PM

Gabriel Alves
Renato Machado
SÃO PAULO and BRASÍLIA

This Tuesday (19), Brazil broke the symbolic mark of more than a thousand daily deaths by Covid-19. The country recorded 1,179 new deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the Ministry of Health. In all, there are 17,971 deaths from coronavirus and 271,628 confirmed cases.

It is possible to affirm that the new coronavirus is the biggest cause of mortality today in Brazil, surpassing the set of all cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attacks and strokes, which kill 980 Brazilians a day.

Worldwide, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France also recorded more than 1,000 deaths from coronaviruses in a day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The USA took 70 days from the first confirmed case to reach the mark, the United Kingdom, 68 days, France, 69, and Brazil, 83 days.

Daily deaths from cancer (624) and those due to external causes, such as accidents and violence (424), were also left behind. The figures refer to 2018 data from the Ministry of Health.

More:
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacional/en/scienceandhealth/2020/05/brazil-surpasses-the-mark-of-more-than-a-thousand-coronavirus-daily-deaths.shtml?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsen