Brazil

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazilian Economy Minister Paulo Guedes said on Tuesday he will stay in his post as long as he has the confidence of President Jair Bolsonaro.

Guedes’ relationship with Bolsonaro has come under scrutiny since the right-wing president pushed out the chief executive of state-run oil company Petrobras in February and threatened to interfere in other sectors of the economy.

Speaking to Primocast, a podcast focused on financial matters, Guedes said he would not be swayed by external pressures.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil’s COVID-19 death toll, which surpassed 250,000 on Thursday, is the world’s second-highest for the same reason its second wave has yet to fade: Prevention was never made a priority, experts say.

Since the pandemic’s start, Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro scoffed at the “little flu” and lambasted local leaders for imposing restrictions on activity; he said the economy must keep humming along to prevent worse hardship.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Brazil will begin to produce a COVID-19 vaccine in the first half of 2021, a state-run biological sciences institution said Monday.

With a technology transfer agreement with British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation based in Rio de Janeiro will be able to start making the vaccine in Brazil in April, said Marco Aurelio Krieger, the vice president of production and innovation in health with the foundation, in an interview with the UOL internet portal.

BRASILIA, Feb 21 (NNN-TELESUR) — Brazilian demonstrators mobilized in at least 70 cities holding rallies to demand an immediate and free COVID-19 vaccination for the entire population.

Pres Jair Bolsonaro has dismissed the scope of the pandemic since its beginning as the death toll rises to over 244,000 people since March 2020.

The protests “also demand the return of the emergency relief suspended by the government of Jair Bolsonaro. 14 million people are unemployed in Brazil. For many, it was the only source of survival.”

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro moved to replace the head of state-run oil company Petrobras, naming a retired army general with no oil and gas experience as CEO after weeks of clashes with the current chief executive over fuel price hikes.

In a late Friday statement from the Mines and Energy Ministry, first shared on Bolsonaro’s Facebook page, the government said it had decided to appoint former Defense Minister Joaquim Silva e Luna to run Petroleo Brasileiro SA, as the firm is known formally.

BRASILIA, Feb 14 (NNN-Xinhua) — Brazil registered 1,043 more deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, taking the nationwide death toll to 238,532, the Ministry of Health said.

It has been the fifth consecutive day that more than 1,000 daily deaths from the disease have been reported.

The ministry also reported 44,299 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the national tally to 9,809,754.

Brazil has the second highest number of deaths, after the United States, and the third highest number of cases, behind the United States and India.

BRASILIA, Feb 13 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — The leaders of Brazilian congress two chambers announced priority will be given to reviving pandemic emergency payments to the vulnerable population, which are expected to be granted in four months, from March to June.

Senate president Rodrigo Pacheco speaking next to Economy minister Paulo Guedes and Lower House leader Arthur Vila emphasized that emergency aid and the Covid-19 vaccines are the “absolute priority” of the Legislative and the president Bolsonaro administration.

BRASILIA, Feb 9 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Brazil is preparing a fresh round of emergency cash transfers to millions of poor, President Jair Bolsonaro said. “I think there will be an extension,” Bolsonaro said in an interview with the TV program Brasil Urgente.

The previous program expired Dec 31, which helped Bolsonaro rocket in opinion polls, but have since being declining as the pandemic worsens and the number of deaths and contagions climb to the world’s second highest behind the US.

SAO PAULO, Jan 31 (NNN-CMA) – Brazil reported 1,279 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, taking its death toll to 223,945, the Health Ministry said.

Meanwhile, 58,462 new cases of COVID-19 were detected, bringing its nationwide tally to 9,176,975.

The state of Sao Paulo, the most populated in the country, is the hardest hit, with 1,773,024 cases and 52,954 deaths.

Brazil has the world’s second-highest COVID-19 death toll, second only to the United States, and the third-largest outbreak, after the United States and India.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Brazil reported on Friday 1,119 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, taking its death toll to 222,666, the Health Ministry said.

Meanwhile, 59,826 new cases of COVID-19 were detected, bringing its nationwide tally to 9,118,513.

The state of Sao Paulo, the most populated in the country, is the hardest hit, with 1,759,957 cases and 52,722 deaths, followed by Rio de Janeiro, with 516,868 cases and 29,563 deaths.

Brazil has the world's second-highest COVID-19 death toll, after the United States.