By Agence France-Presse

Brazil, the South American country worst-hit by the coronavirus pandemic, has registered more than 5,000 deaths from COVID-19, the health ministry announced Tuesday.

A record 474 deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours, with the number of infections rising to 71,886, the ministry said.

The overall death toll from the pandemic in Brazil has exceeded that of China, where the virus first emerged before spreading across the world.