Brazil records world’s highest daily coronavirus death toll for first time

Brazil for the first time has surpassed the U.S. with the most reported coronavirus fatalities over a 24-hour period Monday, Reuters reported.

Brazil confirmed 807 deaths, while the U.S. reported 620, according to the news service. 

The South American country now has the second-largest outbreak in the world, behind the United States. Brazil has confirmed at least 374,898 cases of the virus, in addition to 23,473 deaths. The U.S. has recorded more than 1.6 million cases and 98,191 deaths, according to data from The New York Times.

The White House on Sunday announced that President Trump was restricting the entry of non-U.S. citizens traveling from Brazil amid its ongoing outbreak.

“Today, the President has taken decisive action to protect our country by suspending the entry of aliens who have been in Brazil during the 14-day period before seeking admittance to the United States,” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement, adding that the move does not “apply to the flow of commerce between the United States and Brazil.” 

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has previously referred to the coronavirus as a “little flu” and encouraged some businesses to open despite the ongoing pandemic. He also dismissed his former health minister following a reported dispute over the country’s coronavirus response.  

Mike Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization’s emergencies program, told reporters Friday that South America “has become a new epicenter for the disease.” 

“We’ve seen many South American countries with increasing numbers of cases and clearly there’s a concern across many of those countries, but certainly the most affected is Brazil at this point,” Ryan said.