Brazil’s coronavirus cases surpass half a million

The number of COVID-19 cases in Brazil has exceeded 500,000, according to official statistics published on Sunday.

In the past day, 16,409 new cases were recorded, taking the total number to 514,849. The death toll from the disease caused by the novel coronavirus rose by 480 to 29,314. More than 206,500 patients have recovered, the Health Ministry said.

On Sunday, the Health Ministry reported about 33,274 new coronavirus cases and the daily growth has been setting records for the third day in a row.

The state of Sao Paulo remains the epicenter of the outbreak in the country, including its eponymous capital, home to more than 21 million people. The region has nearly 110,000 infection cases and more than 7,600 fatalities. Massive outbreaks were also reported in Rio de Janeiro (over 53,300 cases) and the northeastern region of Seara (nearly 48,500 cases). The death toll in these two states reached 5,344 and 3,010.