Brazil records 91,097 new COVID-19 cases

SAO PAULO, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Brazil recorded 91,097 new COVID-19 infections and 3,769 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking its nationwide tallies to 12,839,844 and 325,284, respectively, the Health Ministry said on Thursday.

In March, 66,868 people died of COVID-19 in the Latin America's largest and most populous country.

According to the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, the collapse of the hospital system deepened in the last week in Brasilia and 17 other states, where intensive care bed occupancy rose above 90 percent.

Meanwhile, a large part of the country is under strict quarantine and a night curfew for Easter week.

Sao Paulo, Brazil's most populated state with about 46 million people, will stay in a state of emergency until April 12.

Vaccination against COVID-19 began on Jan. 17 in Brazil, and as of Wednesday, 17,620,872 people had received their first dose, while 5,091,611 had received their second one, according to local media.