Brazil's COVID-19 cases cross 4 million mark, 43,773 new infections in 24 hours

On September 3, Brazil, touched four million marks of coronavirus cases. The health ministry of Brazil said infections were beginning to slow. Brazil reported its first case of coronavirus on February 26 and since then it has reported more than 4.04 million cases of COVID-19 and registered over 124,600 deaths. According to health ministry data in the last 24 hours, Brazil has reported almost 44,000 new cases and 834 fatalities because of coronavirus. But experts urged caution, an epidemiologist at Brasilia University, said this is a new ray of hope and trends are improving, he also added these trends should be maintained for two or three weeks to come to any conclusion.

Read: Brazil Records 46,934 New Coronavirus Cases, Tally Approaches 4 Million Mark

 Brazil has recorded a death rate of 589 per million and there is a huge difference between the figures in the north 746 and south 309. Health experts have warned that the situation could deteriorate again if local and regional governments gave in to pressure from business groups to reopen the economy too soon and if social distancing measures were abandoned. Many Brazilian cities are currently studying how and when to reopen schools. Bars, restaurants, gyms, and churches have already reopened, albeit with strict social distancing rules.

Read: COVID-19: Cumulative Tests For Detection Surge To 4,55,09,380

Brazil begins trial of Chinese vaccine

The Brazilian city of Niterói in Rio de Janeiro state has reportedly begun testing a coronavirus vaccine produced by the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac. The trial is being conducted by a partnership between the city government, the Butantan Institute, and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation. Some 800 of the city's healthcare workers have already applied to participate in the study as volunteers to receive the vaccine. Five other Brazilian states are participating in the Sinovac tests, with 9,000 volunteers in total. Rafael Bastos, an anesthesiologist who volunteered to receive the vaccine, is confident the trial will be a success. "It can solve our public health problem, not only in Brazil but in the world," Bastos said September 1.

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