Brazil: The number of coronavirus cases surpasses 200,000

The country has reported 202,918 confirmed cases, an increase of 13,944 new cases in the last 24 hours.

While 8,318 patients are being treated in intensive care units, 79,479 patients suffering from coronavirus have been discharged from hospital after being cured.

Sao Paulo, the country’s most-populated state, continues to be the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in Brazil. The state has so far reported 54,329 confirmed coronavirus cases, with at least 4,315 deaths.

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)