The Brazilian state of Sao Paulo has overtaken China when it comes to the number of deaths from the novel coronavirus.
According to data released by Brazil’s health ministry on Saturday, May 16, 2020, there have been 4,688 coronavirus-related deaths in the country’s most populous state, which is home to more than 40 million people.
Official figures from China, which has a population of more than a billion, show the country has had 4,637 deaths.
In the country as a whole, Brazil had recorded 15,633 deaths and 233,142 cases of infection as of Saturday.
Data from the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University puts Brazil in sixth place worldwide in terms of deaths from the coronavirus.
Tensions over the virus response are growing in the country, as Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro continues to push for the country’s economy to reopen.
On Friday, his health minister Nelson Teich resigned after less than a month in the job.
