Brazil crosses India's Covid-19 tally, becomes second-worst affected country

Brazil now has the second-worst Covid-19 outbreak in the world, overtaking India with a recent spurt in cases and deaths.

According to data from Johns Hopkins University, Brazil has reported over 11.43 million Covid-19 cases to date, compared to India's 11.3 million tally.

The country is also the second-worst affected in terms of the number of deaths, with over 2,77,000 deaths. In terms of deaths, India is the fourth-worst affected with over 1.58 lakh deaths, while Mexico is the third-worst affected with over 1.9 lakh deaths.

Brazil has recently reported a large surge in Covid-19 cases since the beginning of the year, with a high of over 87,000 daily cases reported on January 7, and over 84,000 cases reported as recently as March 12.

The country has also reported a record increase in the number of daily fatalities, with 2,349 deaths reported on March 10.

Read | Brazil's Covid-19 task force estimates daily deaths could reach 3,000, sources say

The World Health Organization has issued grave remarks over the rise in Covid-19 cases in Brazil, saying the situation is concerning and serious action needs to be taken.

Brazil president Jair Bolsonaro, however, appears to be less concerned, having recently told Brazilians concerned about the meteoric rise in cases and deaths to "stop whining and move on".

"Enough fussing and whining. How much longer will the crying go on?" Bolsonaro told a crowd at an event on March 5. "How much longer will you stay at home and close everything? No one can stand it anymore. We regret the deaths, again, but we need a solution."