News Americas, RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Weds. July 29, 2020: One Latin American nation recorded over 40,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in a 24-hour period, its Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

Brazil recorded 40,816 additional confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus as well as 921 deaths from the disease, the Health Ministry said.

Brazil now has registered nearly 2.5 million cases of the virus since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 88,539, according to ministry data.

The news comes as a as a group of unions representing Brazilian health workers have urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate President Jair Bolsonaro’s government for crimes against humanity over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

And as a study by the Getulio Vargas Foundation, a university and think tank, said the number of Brazilians living in extreme poverty fell to 6.9 million in June, or 3.3% of Brazil’s population — the lowest level since the late 1970s. As this year began, 6.2% Brazilians were in extreme poverty, the study said.