COVID-19 cases, deaths on rise in Brasil, Mexico

The novel coronavirus claimed hundreds of lives in Brasil and Mexico in the past 24 hours, according to health authorities.

Brasil now stands as the second worst-hit country by the pandemic worldwide, as its death toll climbed to 78,772 with 921 new fatalities in the last 24 hours, according to the country’s Health Ministry.

Registered cases have topped 2 million with 28,532 additions, while more than 1.3 million patients have so far recovered.

With a population of over 211 million, Brasil is seen as the epicenter of the outbreak in Latin America.

Meanwhile, the Mexican Health Ministry registered 578 new deaths, and the tally of cases surged to nearly 38,900.

Confirmed cases now stand above 338,913 as 7,615 more people contracted the virus, while over 213,000 people have recovered after getting infected.

The first coronavirus case in Mexico was recorded on Feb. 28 and the first fatality on March 19.

Since first appearing in China last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 188 countries and regions. The US, Brasil, India, and Russia are currently the countries hardest hit in the world.

The pandemic has killed over 602,000 people worldwide, with almost 14.3 million confirmed cases, according to figures compiled by US’ Johns Hopkins University. Over 8 million people have recovered from the disease.