Brazil's iconic Christ the Redeemer statue has been bathed in light amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Organisers have projected an image onto the structure to make Christ look like a doctor, along with the Portuguese word for 'thanks'.

During an Easter Sunday service held atop the ‎Corcovado mountain‎, ‎in Rio de Janeiro, the famous statue also had an image of a doctor placed onto its body.

It had the phrase 'Fique Em Casa' on the side, which means 'Stay At Home'.

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Credit: PA

Credit: PA

The service saw the Christ the Redeemer also lit up with flags of countries around the world with messages of hope.

It's not the first time the structure has been used to send out a positive message during the Covid-19 outbreak.

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On 18 March, it had loads of flags projected onto the statue to represent all the countries that had been affected by the pandemic.

The display also included the message 'Pray together' written in different languages.

The event - which saw the Bishop of Rio de Janeiro lead a prayer ceremony - was closed to the public, with limited access given to members of the media.

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More than 1.8 million people have tested positive for the coronavirus, however more than 421,000 have recovered.

The virus has killed more than 114,000 people and has wiped out economies across the globe and placed more than a billion people in lockdown.

Brazil has recorded 22,000 cases and more than 1,200 deaths so far.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has previously dismissed precautions taken against Covid-19 as 'hysteria', having since been widely criticised for his response to the global outbreak.

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Bolsonaro has been tested for the virus twice, but has said both tests returned with a negative result.

