20th May, 2020
World No. 3 Brazil posted on Tuesday a record 1,179 coronavirus death toll, just as President Jair Bolsonaro doubled down on chloroquine as a possible remedy.
The highest daily toll before Tuesday had been 881 deaths on May 12.
The pandemic has killed at least 17,971 people in Brazil, according to the Health Ministry.
Brazil overtook Britain on Monday to become the country with the third-highest number of confirmed infections, behind Russia and the United States.
Brazil’s confirmed cases also jumped by a record 17,408 on Tuesday, for a total of 271,628 people who have tested positive for the virus.
Bolsonaro, an ideological ally of U.S. President Trump, has been criticised for his handling of the outbreak, such as opposition to restrictions on movement he sees as too damaging to the economy.
Bolsonaro said Interim Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello would issue new guidelines on Wednesday expanding the recommended use of the anti-malarial drug chloroquine to treat the coronavirus.
Two trained doctors have resigned as Health Minister in the past month as Bolsonaro defies public health expert advice.
Bolsonaro told website Blog do Magno that Pazuello, an active-duty army general, would sign the new chloroquine guidelines and keep the top job for now.
Bolsonaro added that his mother is 93 years old, and he keeps a box of chloroquine on hand should she need it.