Brazil registered a record 1,473 more coronavirus-related fatalities in the 24 hours to Thursday, its health ministry reported, with the country’s death toll now at 34,021.
The new fatalities push Brazil’s toll past that of Italy, which has reported 33,689 deaths so far, according to Johns Hopkins University’s tally.
Brazil now has the third-highest death toll worldwide, behind the United States and the United Kingdom.
The health ministry also said it registered 30,925 new coronavirus cases over the previous 24 hours, increasing the nationwide total to 614,941.
Senior health ministry official Eduardo Macário acknowledged that the country is facing difficulties even measuring the extent of coronavirus contagion.
“The government has been working to reduce under-reporting, expanding the testing capacity,” he said at a press conference.
