Brazil, Mexico report hundreds of new COVID-19 fatalities

By Sinan Dogan and Gamze Turkoglu Oguz

ANKARA (AA) - Brazil reported 447 more fatalities from the novel coronavirus, while Mexico registered 232 over the past 24 hours, health authorities said late on Sunday.

In Brazil, the death toll reached 126,650, while confirmed cases surpassed 4.13 million with 14,521 new infections.

According to the Brazilian Health Ministry, over 3.31 million people have so far recovered from the virus in the Latin American country.

With a population of over 211 million, Brazil is seen as the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the region.

While the government has been accused of not doing enough to stem the spread of the virus, Vice President Hamilton Mourao has defended its handling and instead blamed a lack of discipline among Brazilians for the failure of social distancing measures.

Brazil's vibrant financial center of Sao Paolo, with a population of nearly 46 million, is the most affected region in the country.

- Mexico

The Mexican Health Ministry reported 67,558 virus-related deaths with 232 additions over the past day.

With health authorities registering 4,614 more positive tests, total cases in the country rose to 634,023. As many as 442,268 people have recovered from the disease so far, according to official numbers.

The first infection in Mexico was registered on Feb. 28 and the first fatality on March 19.

The virus has claimed nearly 883,000 lives in 188 countries and regions since originating in China in December.

The US, India, and Brazil are currently the worst-hit countries.

Over 27.1 million COVID-19 cases have been reported worldwide, with recoveries above 18.1 million, according to figures compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University.

*Writing by Erdogan Cagatay Zontur