10 June

Brazil on Tuesday resumed publishing an online list of the cumulative totals of coronavirus infections and deaths.

The health ministry had abruptly stopped the daily updates on Saturday and replaced them with the number of people who had recovered.

The move followed mounting criticism from people who said they suspected the government of trying to downplay the seriousness of the situation.

President Jair Bolsonaro said the ministry made the change because state governors were exaggerating the numbers to secure larger budgets.

On Monday, Brazil's Supreme Court ordered the health ministry to release the cumulative figures after opposition political party lawmakers claimed accurate data is necessary to stop the coronavirus from spreading.

Brazil has seen a surge in COVID-19 infections, most notably in poor, densely populated areas. As of Tuesday, there were more than 730,000 confirmed cases. The figure is second only to the United States.

nhk