International

Brazil’s COVID-19 death toll close to 179,000

KathmanduPati December 10, 2020

SAO PAULO – Brazil on Wednesday reported 836 deaths from COVID-19 in the past day, bringing the national count to 178,995, said the Ministry of Health.

The ministry said that 53,453 new cases were detected, raising the nationwide tally to 6,728,452. Brazil has recorded the world’s second-highest COVID-19 death toll, after the United States, and the third-largest caseload, after the United States and India.

Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello said the government was “closing a memorandum of understanding” with U.S. pharmaceutical firm Pfizer to acquire its vaccine.

Meanwhile, Joao Doria, the governor of the state of Sao Paulo, announced at an official ceremony that Brazil’s Butantan Institute will present the results of its trials of Chinese vaccine CoronaVac on 13,000 Brazilians to Brazil’s Health Regulatory Agency on Dec. 15. Enditem-Xinhua