Brazil’s total number of confirmed deaths from coronavirus has now overtaken the WHO’s figure for China, where 4,633 people have so far died.

Sao Paulo, the country’s most-populated state, continues to be the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in Brazil. The state has recorded 224 new deaths from coronavirus in 24 hours and the total rose to 2,049. There are already 24,041 confirmed cases of Covid - 19 in the state.

Coronavirus pandemic was confirmed to have spread to Brazil on 25 February 2020, after a 61-year-old man from São Paulo who had returned from Lombardy, Italy tested positive for the virus.

The pandemic has triggered a variety of responses from federal, state and local governments, with an impact on politics, education and the economy. On 27 March Brazil announced a temporary ban on foreign air travelers, and most state governors have imposed quarantines to prevent the spread of the virus. (ILKHA)