Yahoo Finance The country where deaths are outpacing births in several cities
One country has seen a devastating trend of recording a higher rate of deaths than births in several cities due to the coronavirus pandemic.
For the sixth month in a row, Brazil's most populated city Rio de Janeiro has recorded more deaths than births according to the national Civil Register.
In March, 36,437 deaths were recorded, which was 16 per cent more than the 32,060 new births.
At least 10 other Brazilian cities also recorded more deaths than births last month.
Scientists in Brazil last week discovered another strain of Covid-19, just as the country surpassed 4000 deaths in a 24-hour period.
The new variant included genes modified in Brazilian city Manaus, as well as the highly-infectious British and South African variants, according to virologist Renato Santana, from the Federal University of Minas Gerais.
Brazil became the second nation to go above the 4000 daily deaths threshold, with 4195 deaths counted in the 24 hours before last Tuesday morning.
A viral photo of a Covid patient 'holding hands' with a rubber glove filled with warm water has since showed just how treacherous conditions are for front line healthcare workers and the people fighting the disease.
Brazil's president subject to inquiry
Brazil's Senate has launched a probe into President Jair Bolsonaro's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The congressional investigation, known by its Portuguese acronym as a CPI, can result in a number of actions, including the referral of possible wrongdoing to law enforcement.
In practice, the inquiry is a political headache for Bolsonaro, who is already facing record disapproval amid Brazil's worst coronavirus wave.
Senate leader Rodrigo Pacheco said on Tuesday (local time) a congressional inquiry into the federal response to the pandemic would be combined with a probe into how federal resources were distributed to states.
Bolsonaro has drawn widespread criticism for his approach to the coronavirus, which he has described as a "little flu".
He has repeatedly ignored calls of health experts to wear masks and railed against the use of lockdown measures.
Angered by attempts to have him investigated, Bolsonaro has blasted lawmakers.
A Supreme Court judge ruled last week that enough senators had backed an inquiry into the government's pandemic response to launch the probe despite stalling by Senate leadership.
With AAP
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