Brazil has already recorded at least 241 deaths from the new coronavirus, according to data from the Ministry of Health released on Wednesday (1st).
There were 40 new deaths confirmed in the past 24 hours, the second-highest volume recorded since the start of the emergency by Covid-19. The record was set on Tuesday (31), with 42 confirmed deaths.
With the new data, the country also has 6,836 confirmed cases of the disease. The number represents a 20% jump from the previous day of 5,717.
The ministry, however, has reported that the actual number of cases tends to be higher, since only severe cases of patients admitted to hospitals are tested, and there are cases still waiting for confirmation.
"Today, the number of confirmed cases is much smaller than the number of cases that are circulating in our society. This increases the need for us to be much more careful," said Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta.
He made a new appeal for the population to reinforce social distance. Social distance measures are preventing an even greater increase in cases across Brazil, he said. The impact's size will be measured in the coming days.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon