Six months after reporting its first case of the novel coronavirus, Brazil on Saturday reached the grim milestone of 120,000 COVID-19 deaths. The country of  212 million people has recorded 120,262 deaths from coronavirus, the country’s health ministry said in its daily update on Saturday.

It has reported 3,846,153 cases, as on Saturday.

Brazil is the only other country after the United States to have reported over 120,000 fatalities. The USA is the worst-hit nation, with over 5.9 million cases and 182,535 deaths. 

Brazil‘s COVID-19 curve has been different from other countries, according to Christovam Barcellos, a researcher at public health institute Fiocruz.

“Brazil is unique in the world. Since the start of the pandemic, its curve has been different from other countries’, much slower,” he told AFP.

“It has stabilized now, but at a very dangerous level: nearly 1,000 deaths and 40,000 cases per day. And Brazil still isn’t past the peak,” he added.

Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro is being widely criticised for downplaying the virus. Rather, he attacked governors and mayors who imposed lockdown measures, arguing the economic damage is worse than the disease itself.

He also touted the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and claimed it had “saved thousands of victims’ lives” in Brazil.

The President announced that he tested positive for coronavirus on July 25. He said he took hydroxychloroquine when he was infected with the virus.