A Country in Chaos- Coronavirus Cases in Brazil Soar Past the 1 Million

Brazil passed 1 million coronavirus cases on Friday and reported over 50,000 deaths, setting a new record for the world’s second worst-hit country behind America.

Second only to the United States in both cases and deaths, Brazil confirmed its first case of the novel coronavirus as far back as Feb. 26. The virus has rapidly spread across the country, eroding support for right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro and raising fears of economic collapse after years of sluggish economic growth.

Brazil now has 1,032,913 confirmed cases, with 1,206 new deaths to take total official deaths to 48,954, the Health Ministry said.

Friday also saw a new record daily number of cases, with 54,771, suggesting the outbreak is far from over. Brazil is likely to surpass 50,000 deaths on Saturday, although weekend reporting can be notoriously lower.

Even so, the true extent of the outbreak far exceeds the official figures, according to many experts, who cite a lack of widespread testing. Recent scenes in crematoriums have caused widespread panic amongst the population as officials struggle to cremate and bury the dead- such is lack of space that bodies are being exhumed and put in plastic bags to make way for new ones.