Wed 26 August 2020:
The novel coronavirus has claimed 1,271 more lives in Brazil and 650 in Mexico over the past 24 hours, according to health authorities Wednesday.
In Brazil, the world’s second worst-hit country after the US, the death toll climbed to 116,580, while the number of cases surged to nearly 3.67 million, including 47,134 new infections. The number of recoveries exceeded 3 million.
With a population of over 211 million, Brazil is seen as the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in Latin America.
While the government has been accused of not doing enough to stem the spread of the virus, Vice President Hamilton Mourao has defended its handling, and instead blamed a lack of discipline among Brazilians for the failure of social distancing measures.
Sao Paolo, with a population of 46 million, is the most affected region of the country with 765,670 cases and 28,912 deaths.
Mexico
The death toll in Mexico hit 61,450 with 650 additions.
The total number of cases in the country rose to 568,621, as 4,916 more people tested positive. As many as 393,101 people have recovered from the disease.
The first coronavirus case in Mexico was registered on Feb. 28 and the first fatality on March 19.
Since it originated in China last December, the coronavirus has claimed more than 819,500 lives in 188 countries and regions. The US, Brazil, India, and Russia are currently the worst-hit countries.
More than 23.9 million COVID-19 cases have been reported worldwide, with recoveries exceeding 15.58 million, according to figures compiled by the US’ Johns Hopkins University.
By Sinan Dogan and Emre Aytekin | Anadolu agency
