Brazil records 1,972 COIVD-19 deaths in one day, highest ever

Brazil has recorded COVID-19 deaths daily as the coronavirus pandemic overwhelms hospitals and vaccinations progress slowly.

The Ministry of Health recorded on Tuesday that a regular total of 1,972 new deaths in the nation, which has the world's second-highest overall toll, was exceeded by the United States alone.

There were also 70,764 new cases of COVID-19 reported, meaning that 11.1 million people have now contracted the virus in the country, while at least 268,370 have lost their lives.

The earlier daily death report was set on March 3, with just over 1,900 deaths. The value has increased regularly over the past two weeks.

According to a report released by public health institute Fiocruz on Tuesday, Brazil is facing a serious situation with intensive care units occupying more than 80 percent in 25 of Brazil's 27 capitals.

Last week, President Jair Bolsonaro, who disputes expert advice on fighting the coronavirus, urged Brazilians to 'stop whining' about COVID-19 and renewed its attacks on homelessness.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on the country to take aggressive action and warned that Brazil could affect its neighbors if it did not take the coronavirus seriously.

Brazil's vaccination operations is growing gradually. A total of 8.6 million people (4.1 percent of the population) received the first dose of vaccine, and only 2.9 million received a second dose.

The vaccines used in Brazil are CoronaVac, developed by the Chinese firm Sinovac, and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.