More of Brazil's cabinet ministers are becoming infected with COVID-19 and the number of daily new cases in the country continues to rise.
Eighth Brazilian Minister Confirms Infection
Head of the General Secretariat of the Presidency Jorge Oliveira on Tuesday confirmed through Twitter that he tested COVID-19 positive.
Oliveira said he had been quarantined and was working remotely. The Brazil cabinet minister said he has mild symptoms only.
Since the pandemic started 178 people working for President Jair Bolsonaro's administration have been infected. Oliveira is the eighth Brazilian minister to be confirmed with the virus.
Experts Say Vaccine Could Take Longer To Make
Brazil government officials are confident vaccines being developed by researchers from China and the U.K. working in the country will be delivered in a year or so. Brazil is a popular choice for COVID-19 vaccine developers. However, some health experts said it would take up to two years or more before a vaccine can be produced.
If these predictions are true Brazil's hopes for a quick recovery could disappear and its economy harmed. The government has received widespread criticism for its handling of the crisis.
Unused Hydroxychloroquine In Brazil
Meanwhile, officials said most of the country's stock of hydroxychloroquine is untouched and is kept in storage in Sao Paulo.
At the peak of the pandemic, U.S. President Donald Trump donated 2 million doses of the drug to the country. Bolsonaro has been promoting the drug. However, there are no studies confirming it is effective against the coronavirus. There are studies indicating it may, in fact, be harmful.
As of Tuesday Brazil had 2,808,076 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 96,096 deaths.
Argentina Logs Highest Daily Rise In New Cases
On Tuesday Argentina recorded its highest daily increase in new coronavirus infections. There were 6,972 new cases and 166 deaths from the virus in the past 24 hours.
Health experts said the new daily record indicated a faster spread of the virus. The recent rise in new cases is a concern, according to the Pan-American Health Organization.
As of Tuesday Argentina had 213,535 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 3,979 fatalities.
Mexico Reports More Than 6,000 New Cases
On Tuesday Mexico recorded an additional 6,148 confirmed coronavirus cases bringing the national infection toll to 449,961.
The country has the world's third most number of fatalities - surpassing the U.K.
Health experts said Mexico's actual infection and death rate may be much higher than the official numbers because there was a lack of contact tracing and mass testing.
