Jun 12, 2020 - Health

Brazil reports most coronavirus deaths outside of U.S.

Orion Rummler

Birds-eye view of rows of graves as a truck drives by — A newly cleared graveyard in the Nossa Senhora Aperecida cemetery in Manaus, Brazil, on June 12. Photo: Michael Dantas/AFP via Getty Images

Brazil has surpassed the United Kingdom to report the most novel coronavirus deaths outside of the U.S., as of Friday evening, per Johns Hopkins data.

The big picture: The country has reported more than 136,000 new infections since Monday. Early lapses in tracking and testing led to severely undercounted death tolls as early as April, with Brazil emerging as an epicenter of the virus in Latin America.

Driving the news: Shops and malls can open for up to four hours per day in Sao Paulo — one hub of the virus in the nation — as more restrictions are eased, AP reports.

Context: Social distancing has steadily become less prevalent in the country as fewer people traveled throughout the country through March, according to Murray's influential IHME model.

Brazil's health ministry has frequently qualified its daily coronavirus death tolls with statements indicating the fatalities did not all take place within a 24-hour period, due to delays caused by investigations into the deaths.
Over 828,800 people have contracted the disease in Brazil as of Friday, and more than 41,800 have died from COVID-19 in the country, per Johns Hopkins.

Go deeper: Brazil removes key coronavirus data as case numbers and death toll soar

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Brazil reports most coronavirus deaths outside of U.S.

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