SAO PAULO, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Brazil reported 729 deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in the past 24 hours, bringing the country's death toll to 148,957, the health ministry said on Thursday.
Meanwhile, about 27,750 new infections were reported, taking the national count to 5,028,444, said the ministry.
Brazil's COVID-19 cases surpassed 5 million on Wednesday and is the third worst hit by the pandemic after the United States and India. The country also has the world's second-highest death toll, after the United States.
The state of Sao Paulo, the most populous state in the country, is the most affected, with 1,022,404 infections and 36,884 deaths, followed by Rio de Janeiro, with 280,144 infections and 19,110 deaths. Enditem
