Issued on: 19/05/2020 – 04:02
Brazil recorded 674 new coronavirus deaths on Monday, the Health Ministry said, and announced a total of 254,220 confirmed cases, overtaking Britain to become the country with the third-highest number of infections behind the United States and Russia.
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Brazil has registered 16,792 Covid-19 deaths, the sixth-highest toll in the world.
But experts say under-testing means the real figures could be 15 times higher or more.
The giant South American country of 210 million people is torn by a political battle over how to respond to the virus.
Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro compares the virus to a "little flu," condemns the "hysteria" surrounding it and is urging the country to get back to work to stop an economic crash.
State and local authorities, however, are largely calling on citizens to stay home and practice social distancing — backed by the Supreme Court, which gave them the final say in the matter.
Last week, Health Minister Nelson Teich resigned, becoming the second top health official to leave the post since the pandemic began.
Bolsonaro fired the first after publicly battling over stay-at-home measures, and the second resigned last week after less thanRead More – Source
