BRASILIA, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The Brazilian Health Ministry reported Wednesday that the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country has risen from 71,886 to 78,162, an increase of 9 percent and the largest daily growth since the outbreak of the epidemic.
In the last 24 hours, the death toll rose from 5,385 to 5,466, with a fatality rate of 7 percent.
The ministry said that 34,132 patients have recovered from the disease, and that there are 1,452 deaths whose causes are under investigation.
The southeast state of Sao Paulo, the nation's worst-hit area, reported 26,158 infections, followed by the state of Rio de Janeiro with 8,869 infections. Enditem
