Brazil has record new coronavirus cases, surpasses France in deaths

FILE PHOTO: Gravediggers bury the body of a person who died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Sao Francisco Xavier cemetery, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, May 29, 2020. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil reported a record 33,274 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Saturday, its health ministry said, and the death toll surpassed that of France and now ranks only below the United States, Britain and Italy.

The South American nation has now reported 498,440 confirmed cases of coronavirus since the outbreak began, a level of contagion second only to the United States.