COVID-19: Death toll in Brazil crosses 40,000; Peru reports deaths of 170 cops
Follow UsStory highlights
Latin America has now become the latest coronavirus epicenter of the virus outside the United States as Peru became the second worst-hit country in Latin America after Brazil
As the number of coronavirus cases in Latin America crossed 1.5 million, Brazil on Thursday reported 40,000 total deaths due to COVID-19 and 800,000 cases.
The death toll in Brazil due to the virus stood at 40,900 which is the third higest in the world.
Brazil recorded 30,000 new infections taking the total number of coronavirus cases to 802,800 even as shopping malls reopened in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
Sao Paulo and Rio are the two worst-hit cities in Brazil with Sao Paulo accounting for 10,000 deaths and Rio reporting 7,300 fatalities.
Latin America has now become the latest coronavirus epicenter of the virus outside the United States as Peru became the second worst-hit country in Latin America after Brazil, with more than 208,000 cases and 6,000 deaths.
On Thursday, the Peru government reported that 170 police officers had died due to the virus with nearly 10,000 officers infected with the disease.
"We have 9,900 infected personnel and 170 deceased personnel. That is the figure that we currently have despite the efforts being made," Interior Minister General Gaston Rodriguez said.
Peru's capital Lima reported most police cases with over half of the cases in the city.