SAO PAULO, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Brazil on Saturday reported 2,438 deaths from COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 292,752, as healthcare systems continue to collapse across the country, the ministry of health said.
Meanwhile, the country also registered 79,069 new cases, bringing the nationwide tally to 11,950,459.
Oxygen consumption in hospitals grew 121 percent in two months, and the local government has asked the local Federation of Industries to intervene to guarantee the supply of oxygen tanks, Health Secretary of Sao Paulo Edson Aparecido said.
The South American country is experiencing a new wave of infections generated by the P.1 strain that emerged in the northern state of Amazonas in November last year and the movement of people during the summer vacation. Enditem
