Brazil confirms record COVID-19 death toll, now 3rd highest in the world behind US, Russia

The number of deaths arising from COVID-19 infections in Brazil reached a record 1,179 on Tuesday making it the country with the world’s third-biggest outbreak of the virus behind the US and Russia.

Brazil’s Health Ministry said that the highest daily toll before that had been on May 12 when 881 people died while also informing that the pandemic has killed at least 17,971 people in Brazil since the outbreak of the virus.

Right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro has been widely criticised for his handling of the outbreak, and has been a vocal opponent to COVID-19 lockdowns that he sees as too damaging to the economy.

In a related development, China has accused the United States of smearing Beijing and shirking responsibilities to the UN health agency after President Donald Trump threatened to quit funding the organisation.

Globally, there have been nearly 4.9 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 323,000 people have died, according to the Johns Hopkins University. Almost 1.7 million people have recovered.