Brazil reports 1,279 new Covid-19 deaths

Brasilia, Jan 31 Brazil reported 1,279 additional fatalities due to the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, taking the overall death toll to 223,945, the Health Ministry said.

Meanwhile, 58,462 people also tested positive for the virus in the same period, bringing its nationwide tally to 9,176,975, reports Xinhua news agency.

The state of Sao Paulo, the most populated in the country, is the hardest hit, with 1,773,024 cases and 52,954 deaths.

Brazil presently has the world's second-highest Covid-19 death toll, second only to the US, and the third-largest outbreak, after the US and India.

The country is experiencing a second wave of Covid-19, with cases and deaths on the rise since December 2020.

( With inputs from IANS )