Coronavirus: Brazil’s death toll tops 500,000; Afghanistan needs oxygen
- Brazil’s reported death toll is second only to that of the US, where the number of lives lost has topped 600,000
- Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike says plans to hold mass public viewings of the Olympics at six public sites have been cancelled
Brazil’s health ministry is working to speed up Covid-19 vaccinations as the death toll rose to more than 500,000 since the start of the pandemic.
The nation of 210 million people has been reporting an average of more than 2,000 daily deaths in recent days. Brazil’s reported death toll is second only to that of the US, where the number of lives lost has topped 600,000.
Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga confirmed that the official death toll had passed 500,000.
“I am working tirelessly to vaccinate all Brazilians in the shortest time possible and change this scenario that has plagued us for over a year,” Queiroga tweeted.
Brazil is registering more than 70,000 confirmed coronavirus infections every day. Just 11.4 per cent of the population has been fully vaccinated, according to the government.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has downplayed the coronavirus while trying to keep the economy humming. He dismissed the scourge early on as “a little flu” and has scorned masks.
