Brazil surpasses 174,500 COVID-19 deaths

Reuters
Outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Brazil

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil reported 49,863 additional confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, and 698 new deaths from COVID-19, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

The South American country has now registered 6,436,650 cases since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 174,515, according to ministry data. Brazil has the world's second deadliest outbreak behind only the United States.

(Reporting by Ana Mano; editing by Stephen Eisenhammer)