Virus continues to claim many lives in Brazil, Mexico

The novel coronavirus claimed 703 more lives in Brazil and 705 in Mexico over the last 24 hours, health authorities said on Tuesday.

The COVID-19 death toll in Brazil -- the second-hardest hit by the virus worldwide -- rose to 101,752, while the tally of cases surged to over 3.05 million, including more than 22,000 infections over the past day, according to Health Ministry data.

The total number of recoveries in the Latin American country has exceeded 2.16 million.

Sao Paulo, the country's vibrant financial center with a population of approximately 46 million, stands out as the most affected region of Brazil with 628,415 infections and 25,151 virus-related fatalities.

With a population of over 211 million, Brazil is seen as the epicenter of pandemic in Latin America.

 Mexico,

In Mexico, the death toll hit nearly 53,003 with 705 additions over the past 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry.

Coronavirus cases in the country climbed by 5,558 to reach the total of 485,836, the ministry data showed.

So far, 327,993 people diagnosed with COVID-19 have recovered in the country.

Since first appearing in China last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 188 countries and regions. The US, Brazil, India, and Russia are currently the countries hardest hit in the world.

The pandemic has killed more than 736,200 people worldwide, with over 20.09 million confirmed cases, according to figures compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University. More than 12.28 million people have recovered from the disease.