Brazil exceeded 500,000 deaths from COVID-19 as the South American giant is heading for a third wave of the disease, the government reported.
According to the latest balance of the Ministry of Health, Brazil accumulates 500,800 deaths from the disease and 17,883,750 cases since February 2020.
The country recorded 2,301 deaths and 82,288 new infections of the virus in the last 24 hours, although authorities have reiterated that the numbers are usually lower on weekends due to a lack of personnel to process the figures.
The data confirm Brazil, with its 210 million inhabitants, as the second country with the most deaths from COVID-19 in the world after the United States (601,500) and as the third with the most cases after the North American nation (33.5 million) and India (29.8 million).
The epidemiological curve has accelerated again in recent weeks and many experts agree that the country is on the verge of a third wave of the pandemic, after the rebound in the number of cases and deaths.
The daily average of deaths in the last seven days rose above 2,000 after falling to 1,600 at the beginning of June, but it is still far from the 3,000 reached on April 12, when the country experienced its deadliest phase.
As for infections, the daily average has climbed to 72,000, close to the peak of 77,000 reached on March 25.
Despite the still critical situation of the pandemic, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro insists on his denialist position and this week once again affirmed that contracting the virus is “more effective than the vaccine”, contrary to what the scientific community defends .
