Brazil becomes second country with 1mn cases

RECORD SPIKE Worst-hit South American nation reports over 50,000 Covid-19 infections in 24 hours

SAOPAULO:THE Brazilian government on Friday confirmed that the number of Covid-19 cases in the country crossed 1 million, second only to the US.

Brazil’s health ministry said that the total stood at 1,032,913, up by more than 50,000 from Thursday. The ministry said the sharp increase was due to corrections of previous days’ underreported numbers. The US has more than 2.2 million coronavirus cases.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro still downplays the risks of the virus after nearly 50,000 deaths from Covid-19 in three months, saying the impact of social isolation measures on the economy could be worse than the disease itself.

Experts say the number of cases could be up to seven times higher than the official data. Johns Hopkins University says Brazil is performing an average of 14 tests per 100,000 people each day, and health experts say that number is up to 20 times less than needed to track the virus.

Official data show a downward trend of the virus in Brazil’s north, including the hard-hit region of the Amazon, a plateau in cases and deaths in the biggest cities near the Atlantic coast, but a rising curve in the south.

KABUL: The US State Department says Covid-19 infections have been reported at its embassy in the Afghan capital and the staff who are affected include diplomats, contractors and locally employed staff. An official at the embassy in Kabul said as many as 20 people were infected, many of whom are Nepalese Gurkhas, who provide embassy security.