COVID-19 death toll in Brazil surpasses 1,000

RIO DE JANEIRO, April 11 -- The Brazilian government announced on Friday that the number of deaths of COVID-19 in the country had reached 1,056 and the number of confirmed cases had increased to 19,638, with a fatality rate of 5.4 per cent.

The Ministry of Health stated that in the last 24 hours there had been an increase of 12 per cent in the number of deaths and a 10 per cent increase in positive cases, Xinhua news agency reported.

The state of Sao Paulo, the wealthiest and most populous in the country, has been the region most heavily affected, with 540 deaths and 8,216 confirmed cases, followed by Rio de Janeiro, with 147 deaths and 2,464 cases, and Ceara, with 58 deaths and 1,478 cases.

Despite the recommendations of the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation (WHO), recently there has been an increase in the number of people on the streets, according to the technology company In Loco, which analyses and utilises data sent by mobile phone applications.

According to the company's figures, all Brazilian states recorded an increase in the number of people on the streets in recent days compared to previous weeks.

-- BERNAMA