Brazil has passed the grim milestone of 4,000 Covid-19 related deaths in 24 hours, the Health Ministry in Brasilia said on Tuesday, just over two weeks after the country recorded over 3,000 new daily Covid-19 related deaths for the first time.
Ministry data on Tuesday showed that 4,195 people died over the previous day, bringing the total death toll to 336,947, with more than 13.1 million cases of coronavirus confirmed.
Only the United States has recorded higher figures.
The health system in Brazil - a country of 210 million people - has collapsed or is on the verge of collapse in many areas.
Medication, including intubation for Covid-19 patients, is running out.
Government reshuffled
Brazil's right-wing populist president, Jair Bolsonaro, has played down the threat posed by the virus and expressed doubt at the effectiveness of vaccines.
He has slightly softened his tone recently. In the face of increasing criticism of his government's crisis management during the pandemic, Bolsonaro reshuffled his cabinet, replacing six government ministers.
The heads of the army, air force and navy also vacated their posts.
