Brazil surpasses 250,000 COVID deaths, a year after first case

The South American country has the world’s second-highest death toll after the United States.

One year after the first confirmed case of the coronavirus in Brazil, Latin America’s biggest country has recorded more than 250,000 deaths from COVID-19, with the virus still spreading as a national vaccination drive struggles to gain momentum. President Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right populist who has railed against lockdown measures while saying he will not take any COVID-19 vaccine, has been criticised for his response to the virus. Brazil has the world’s second-highest COVID-19 death toll after the United States, and over 10.3 million confirmed cases, the third-highest after the United States and India.