The government of Brazil has stopped publishing on its website the number of people who have died and been infected with the coronavirus due to the growing number of cases in the country, and experts say the aim is to cover up the actual spread of the deadly pandemic.

President of Brazil Jair Messias Bolsonaro has been under constant criticism for tackling the virus, refusing to recognize COVID-19 as a pandemic, calling it a common cold and refusing to wear a mask or maintain social distance.

The coronavirus has killed more than 400,000 people worldwide and infected more than 6.9 million.

The virus has so far infected more than 615,000 in Brazil, the largest number of infected people in any country after the United States.

In terms of deaths, Brazil has the third-highest number of deaths after the United States and Britain.

Brazil’s health ministry has shut down the country’s website, which lists weekly and monthly statistics and cases of deaths in each state.

Instead, the health ministry says it will provide details of cases and deaths reported within 24 hours, and President Bolsonaro has defended the move, saying the aggregate figures do not cover the actual situation.

He said that aggregate cases do not reflect the current situation in the country and other measures are being taken to improve the reporting and evaluation of cases.

The website was removed on Friday and when it was restored on Saturday, it had only 24-hour statistics, according to which 27,000 new cases were reported in 24 hours and 304 people died from the virus.

Health experts say that despite more than 600,000 cases in the country, there is no prospect of a reduction in the pandemic in Brazil as it is still far from over.

Contrary to the president’s statements, two key members of the health ministry have resigned.

Despite the growing number of cases in the country, the Brazilian President is demanding relaxation of lockdowns and other measures in various states.

President Bolsonaro accused the governor and mayors of using the issue for their own political gain, as most supporters of the tough lockdown are opponents of his government.

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