Brazil has surpassed half a million Covid-19 deaths, becoming the second country in the world after the US to reach the grim milestone.
The national death toll reached 500,800 as the country registered 2,301 fresh fatalities in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Saturday.
Also, 82,288 new cases were recorded in the past 24 hours, taking the total caseload to 17,883,750, world’s third highest after US and India.
The South American country with its hospitals overstretched by patients from a new wave of infections has a mortality rate of 238.3 deaths per 100,000 people, said the ministry.
Brazil has administered more than 86 million doses and over 24.1 million people have received their two doses, it added.