Suspicion over Brazil's data as COVID-19 deaths rise

Suspicion over Brazil's data as COVID-19 deaths rise

Brazil reported 679 new COVID-19 deaths and 15,654 additional confirmed cases on Monday, as controversy grew over the country’s official coronavirus data.

Joe Davies reports.

Surfers returned to the sea in Rio de Janeiro at the weekend, as quarantine measures were eased.

But the wave of coronavirus cases and deaths in Brazil continues to surge.

On Monday (June 8), the country reported 679 new fatalities - and more than 15,500 new infections.

But the first phase of the relaxation of quarantine rules while the disease remains rampant isn't the only controversy here.

Brazil's Health Ministry removed data from its website over the weekend, and stopped releasing cumulative totals for coronavirus deaths and infections.

The move came soon after it released two contradictory sets of data.

On Monday, the Health Ministry said its weekend dataset problems stemmed mainly from mistakes in the numbers from two states that were later corrected.

But discrepancies in the daily death toll it reported has already prompted criticism from across the political spectrum - and a call for a congressional inquiry.