Worldwide coronavirus cases cross 8.04 million, death toll at 435,682

June 16

More than 8.04 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 435,682? have died, according to a Reuters tally.

Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.

Coronavirus deaths near 44,000 in Brazil, No. 2 global hotspot

Rio de Janeiro: Brazil’s death toll from the novel coronavirus pandemic rose to nearly 44,000 on Monday, according to Health Ministry data, as the country continued easing restrictions on circulation despite the world’s second-worst outbreak after the United States.

Brazil registered 627 new fatalities on Monday, down from an average of nearly 1,000 over the past week. Reporting of fatalities typically slows over the weekend.

Although Brazil’s official death toll from the pandemic has risen to 43,959, the true impact is likely far greater than the data show, health experts say, because of a lack of widespread testing in Latin America’s largest country.

The Health Ministry registered about 20,000 new coronavirus cases on Monday, bringing the total to 888,271 infections.

Despite the severity of the outbreak, many Brazilian states and cities have begun easing social distancing rules in recent weeks amid growing public fatigue and repeated demands from President Jair Bolsonaro to get the economy going.

On Monday, Mike Ryan, the World Health Organization’s top emergencies expert, said Latin America remained a cause for concern.

“Brazil cannot be singled out in the Americas — there are many other countries in the Americas like Mexico, Chile and others who have had significant number of cases and continue to have an upswinging epidemic,” he said. “I would characterize the situation in Central and South America as being of concern.”

Mexico’s infections surpass 150,000, deaths over 17,500

Mexico City: Mexico passed the grim milestone of 150,000 total confirmed coronavirus cases on Monday, as the health ministry reported 3,427 new infections along with 439 additional fatalities.

There are now a total 150,264 confirmed coronavirus cases and 17,580 deaths, though the government has said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the official count. — Reuters