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HEALTH-VIRUS
Global virus death toll passes 400,000
PARIS, June 7, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – The coronavirus pandemic has killed
400,000 people since it emerged in China late last year, according to
an AFP tally of official sources at 1430 GMT on Sunday.
A total of 400,052 deaths have now been recorded — a figure that
has doubled in the past month and a half.
While almost half of the deaths have been recorded in Europe
(183,428), the United States remains the hardest-hit nation with
109,802 deaths from 1,920,061 cases.
Britain is next with 40,542 deaths, followed by Brazil (35,930),
Italy (33,846) and France (29,142).
The sharp rise in fatalities and cases in Brazil has made Latin
America the current focal point of the virus.
But controversy surrounds the country’s data after the health
ministry on Friday took down running totals of infections and deaths,
later replacing it with figures for the previous 24 hours.
Regional health officials accused the government of far-right
President Jair Bolsonaro of “rendering invisible” the victims of the
disease.
“From a health point of view we are witnessing a tragedy… not
informing signifies the state is more harmful than the virus,” said
Luiz Henrique Mandetta, who was sacked as health minister by Bolsonaro
in April.
Bolsonaro has throughout the crisis said the danger of the virus is
overstated, emphasising his priority is to keep the economy
functioning, despite the World Health Organization last month
declaring Latin America as having become the virus epicentre.
BSS/AFP/MRU/2244hrs