RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's COVID-19 death toll rose to 186,356 on Saturday after 706 more patients died in the past 24 hours, said the Ministry of Health.
Meanwhile, a total of 50,177 new infections were recorded, bringing the nationwide tally to 7,213,155.
Sao Paulo, the hardest-hit state in the country, has reported 1,384,100 cases and 45,029 deaths, followed by Rio de Janeiro, with 403,660 cases and 24,454 deaths, the ministry said.
The Latin American nation has the world's second highest COVID-19 death toll, only behind the United States, and the third largest caseload, surpassed only by the United States and India. Enditem
