Brazil blames record spike in COVID-19 cases on 'instable' data from states

Authorities in Brazil have now blamed irregular reporting of COVID-19 cases by states for the rising national toll. On June 19, the country’s health ministry reportedly said the new spike on positive cases was due in part to “instability” in how populous states reported their data on the previous day. On June 18, Brazil surpassed the United States' in the single-day rise reporting 54, 711 case in just 24 hours, the tally from John Hopkins University revealed.

Sao Paulo reports new 1,111 cases 

Meanwhile, the ministry said that the record spike was partial “due to instability in the routine of exporting data” related to states of Bahia, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo on June 18. Sao Paulo, the most populous state in the country reported 1,111 new cases on June 18 and 19,030 cases on June 19.  However, it said that the conclusion would further allow for a more precise evaluation.

 “It is worth noting that the conclusion of the epidemiological week on Saturday 6/20 will allow for a more precise evaluation of the variation in new cases this week in relation to last week.” it added in a statement.

Brazil has now become the second country in the world to surpass 10,00,000 cases. According to the latest tally, there are over 1032913 cases and 48954 fatalites reported till now. On June 19, the country’s government has introduced new guidelines for meatpackers. Amid the growing risk of contracting the fatal COVID-19, the Brazilian government has recommended the people working in such sectors to remain at least a metre away from each other to reduce the risk of contracting the novel coronavirus. However, according to an international media agency, these guidelines have been deemed inadequate by the labour prosecutors.

Read: Brazil Tops 1 Million Cases As Coronavirus Spreads Inland

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 According to reports, a representative from the prosecutor’s office has said that the Brazilian government has ignored the essential recommendations they made including the maintenance of social distancing of at least 1.5 metres and mass testing if coronavirus. Moreover, they had also raised concerns over the material and quality of facemasks that should be used by workers. 

Read: Brazil's New COVID-19 Guidelines For Meatpackers Disappoints Prosecutor's Office

Read: Beijing Sees Drop Is Virus Cases As Brazil Passes 1 Million

Image credits: AP