The country, which never had the pandemic under control, hit the tragic milestone as the virus continues to rage and President Jair Bolsonaro continues to ignore scientific recommendations.
Brazil hit the tragic milestone of half a million COVID deaths on Saturday when it added 2,495 fatalities to its count.
The country has the second highest pandemic death toll in the world, second only to the US, with its 600,000 deaths — though the US population is also 55% larger.
And unlike Americans, whose death and infection numbers have plummeted after a major vaccination campaign, Brazilians are now going through their second highest level of daily cases and deaths — only the peak in March and April was higher. In most states, case numbers are remaining stable or increasing.
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