Brazil Surpasses Italy in Coronavirus Deaths; Toll Tops 34,000

(Bloomberg) -- Brazil reported a record number of daily coronavirus deaths, surpassing Italy to become third in the world in number of fatalities from the disease.

The country reported 1,473 deaths on Thursday, bringing the death toll to 34,021, trailing only the U.S. and the U.K. The Health Ministry also said it recorded 30,925 new cases in the last 24 hours, pushing the country's total to 614,941, behind only the U.S.

The nation of 210 million people has become an epicenter of the virus, which has eased in other parts of the world but continues to spread across Latin America. The region now accounts for about 40% of the world's daily virus deaths.

Despite the record numbers, many parts of Brazil have begun phasing out quarantines, including Sao Paulo, the hotspot of Brazil's outbreak: the state has reported 8,561 deaths. But Thursday afternoon the mayor of the capital of Sao Paulo announced all offices and car dealerships may open starting Friday. In Rio de Janeiro the mayor announced Thursday that the city's 14,000 street vendors can also return to work.

Ongoing political sparring between governors and President Jair Bolsonaro has further added to the confusion on virus response efforts. Bolsonaro has been against isolation measures from the start, arguing that the economic toll of the crisis could be worse than the disease and sometimes pointing to Sweden's similar approach as his model. On Wednesday, the Nordic country's top epidemiologist said his strategy to fight Covid-19 resulted in too many deaths.

The virus continues to spread across the vast country. Close to three-quarters of Brazilian cities have now reported positive cases, and the Health Ministry said last week that the curve was still growing. On Thursday the governor of Mato Grosso stated announced he had tested positive for the virus; he is the seventh Brazilian governor to test positive.

As the numbers rise, so does the concern that the pandemic is now reaching parts of the country with remedial health systems, like the impoverished hinterlands of the country's northeast. Covid-19 has also reached further into more isolated communities, such as indigenous territories. The approaching winter season in the Southern Hemisphere could increase the frequency of colds and the flu, further aggravating the outbreak.