Brazil passes Italy and Spain in confirmed coronavirus cases
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3 minutesBrazil’s
confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus rose on Saturday past those of
Spain and Italy, which was once the epicenter of the pandemic, making
Brazil’s outbreak the fourth largest in the world, according to official
figures.
FILE
PHOTO: A member of Emergency Rescue Service (SAMU) is seen in front of a
hospital during the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in
Santo Andre, Sao Paulo State, Brazil, May 12, 2020. REUTERS/Rahel
Patrasso/File Photo
Brazil’s
Health Ministry registered 14,919 new confirmed cases in the prior 24
hours, taking the total to 233,142, behind the United States, Russia and
the United Kingdom. Brazil has done just a fraction of the testing seen
in those three countries.
The global distinction is likely to
pile pressure on President Jair Bolsonaro, who lost his second health
minister in a month on Friday as he defies public health experts and
calls for widespread use of unproven drugs.
Bolsonaro has been
fiercely critical of the orders by many of Brazil’s state governors for
strict social isolation and quarantine to combat the spread of the
virus, including the closure of schools, shops and restaurants.
Bolsonaro
argues that the toll on the economy is becoming unbearable and
businesses must be allowed to reopen as soon as possible. The government
now expects Brazil will post its biggest annual economic contraction
this year since records began over a century ago.
Brazil’s vice
president, Hamilton Mourao, underwent a COVID-19 test and was placed in
isolation at his official residence on Saturday, after a public servant
who had been near him last week tested positive.
Mourao, 66,
will not fulfill official duties on Monday, when the results are
expected. Bolsonaro has undergone several coronavirus tests after
ministers and other close aides tested positive.
Nationwide
testing in Brazil still lags far behind European nations. Brazil had
processed nearly 338,000 novel coronavirus tests in official labs by the
beginning of the week, according to the Health Ministry. Another
145,000 tests were under analysis or waiting in line.
By contrast, Italy and Spain have each run some 1.9 million official diagnostic tests for the virus.
Brazil’s Health Ministry on Saturday also reported 816 new deaths related to the virus, bringing the total to 15,633.
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