Brazil COVID-19 deaths reach 100,000 and barrel onward

People are seen silhouetted among crosses and balloons placed by members of the NGO Rio de Paz in tribute to the one hundred thousand mortal victims of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country, at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil August 8, 2020. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes

BRASILIA/RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazil's death toll from COVID-19 passed 100,000 on Saturday and continue to climb as most Brazilian cities reopen shops and dining even though the pandemic has yet to peak.

Confronting its most lethal outbreak since the Spanish flu a century ago, Brazil reported its first cases of the novel coronavirus at the end of February. The virus took three months to kill 50,000 people, and just 50 days to kill the next 50,000.