Brazil has become the second country, after the US, to register more than 50,000 deaths from Covid-19.
It comes amid growing political tension and just days after the country confirmed more than one million coronavirus infections.
Brazil recorded its highest number of daily deaths on 4 June; the seven-day average seems to have plateaued since.
President Jair Bolsonaro‘s decision to oppose lockdowns and focus on the economy has been hugely divisive.
Two health ministers – both doctors – have left their posts as deaths and infections have surged. The first was sacked by Mr Bolsonaro, the second resigned after disagreeing with the far-right president.
Brazil has recently been recording about 1,000 deaths a day, although figures at weekends tend to be lower. Many experts believe the lack of testing nationally – some of them say the level is 20 times less than needed – suggests the overall figures could be considerably higher.
The northern states of Amazonas, Pará and Ceará have seen more than 12,000 deaths in total, but it is São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro that have seen the biggest spikes, now standing at 12,500 and 8,800 fatalities respectively.
Source : BBC
