On Friday, more than 330,000 COVID-19 infections have been reported in Brazil, eventually surpassing Russia as the nation with the second-highest rate of COVID-19 infections around the world behind the U.S., as the Americas arose as the new pandemic epicentre.

According to the health ministry, Brazil reported 1,001 daily fatalities from coronavirus on Friday, increasing the number of deaths to 21,048. The actual number of infections and fatalities, nevertheless, is likely to be higher as the top economy in Latin America has been slow to speed up coronavirus screening.

The number of deaths in Brazil seems to be currently the sixth highest worldwide, just behind the United States, Britain, Italy, Spain, as well as France. However it is not anticipated that the outbreak will peak in Brazil until June.

The alarming turning point on Friday emerged as the World Health Organization (WHO) declared South America as the "new epicenter" of the viral disease, with the director of emergencies at the World Health Organization, Mike Ryan, sharing his worry for Brazil.

"In a sense, South America has become a new epicentre for the disease. We have seen many South American countries with increasing numbers of cases," Ryan stated in a virtual press conference. "Clearly there is a concern across many of those countries, but clearly the most affected is Brazil at this point."

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The use of anti-malarial drugs

The Brazilian Ministry of Health has approved the use of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine- an anti-malarial drug to combat even minor cases of COVID-19-treatments that President Jair Bolsonaro has campaigned for despite the lack of concrete evidence of their efficacy.

On Friday, a research published in the medical journal The Lancet discovered that patients medicated with the drugs presented a higher chance of death compared to those who had not received these drugs.

The two medications are one of the handful clinical trials coordinated by the WHO to seek successful treatments for the infection. In 320 facilities in 17 countries about 3,000 patients are taking part in the clinical trials.

Moreover, Ryan emphasised that neither the chloroquine nor the hydroxychloroquine has shown to be successful in the prevention of COVID-19 or even in the disease prevention.

"Our current clinical and systematic reviews carried out by the Pan American Health Organization, and the current clinical evidence, does not support the widespread use of hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19 - not until the trials are completed and we have clear results," Ryan stated.

The COVID-19 response of Bolsonaro

In a prominent medical study, President Jair Bolsonaro has been identified as "perhaps the biggest threat" to the capability of Brazil to combat the coronavirus outbreak effectively, just as the nation recorded its highest daily death toll.

Bolsonaro, who alluded to the outbreak as a "mere cold" and who met with his followers without wearing a mask, stated that the quarantine initiatives' economic effects will be more dangerous than the virus itself.

In addition to this, he has also supported and encouraged citizens to disobey the social distancing directives that state governors have implemented, urging people to return to work and participate in public gatherings despite the increasing rate of infections and fatalities.