BRASILIA, Feb 1 (NNN-Xinhua) — Brazil has registered 27,756 cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), for a total of 9,204,731, as well as another 559 deaths, bringing the death toll to 224,504, the Ministry of Health reported.
Brazil is second in the world in number of deaths from the disease, following the United States.
The state of Sao Paulo has been the most affected by the virus and is on high alert, but over the weekend, crowds of people gathered on the state’s main beaches, despite an official order forbidding such activity.
This month, 310,727 cases have been registered in Sao Paulo, for a total of 1,777,368, as well as 6,237 deaths, for a total of 53,034.
Rio de Janeiro has also registered increased crowds, with more than 1,000 people recently gathering to watch the sunrise at the famous Ipanema beach.
Brazil confirmed this month a new variant of the coronavirus in the state of Amazonas, which has increased pressure on the state’s health system, especially in the state capital of Manaus, which faced a lack of oxygen supplies to treat COVID-19 patients.
The state of Amazonas is currently under a curfew to prevent crowds and slow the spread of the virus.
Meanwhile, CUBA registered one COVID-19 related death and 1,012 new cases, the highest daily increase since the pandemic hit the country, according to its Ministry of Health.
“The deceased is a 90-year-old woman, a resident of Havana,” said Francisco Duran, director of hygiene and epidemiology at the Ministry of Public Health, in his daily briefing in HAVANA.
Duran reported that 978 of the 1,012 new cases are community transmissions and 34 are imported.
Duran said that 5,558 patients are currently hospitalized, including 22 reported to be in critical condition.
The country, according to official data, has registered 214 deaths and 26,686 cases of the virus so far. — NNN-XINHUA
