Brazilian health officials are expected to report more COVID-19 cases even as the country hit two million cases on Thursday. The news comes after months of constant dismissal from the country's President Jair Bolsonaro.

It has been less than a month since Brazil surpassed one million confirmed coronavirus cases. The country has had the second-largest outbreak across the globe. However, medical experts have reported more than 40,000 new daily cases in recent weeks, Yahoo News reports.

Since late May, state officials also recorded more than 1,000 daily coronavirus-related deaths. It now has 76,000 deaths. The trend has yet to show signs of tilting downward.

Why is the virus spreading?

Experts say the denial of COVID-19's deadly potential and the lack of national coordination has led to a surge of cases.

President Bolsonaro pressured governors and mayors to lift their stay-at-home orders despite the rapid spread of the virus. He also fought against social distancing orders and attended rallies alongside hundreds of his supporters.

In Ribeirao Preto, San Paulo, shopkeepers surrounded the mayor's car. Many punched his vehicle's windows and cursed at him, demanding they be given permission to reopen.

In Campinas, political pressure caused the city councilman to allow businesses to reopen on June 8. Two weeks later, the number of cases and deaths tripled.

The interim health minister, General Eduardo Pazuello, is untrained in presiding over the pandemic response. He was given the position in April after Dr. Nelson Teich resigned after serving for a month. According to Bloomberg, the doctor and healthcare consultant quit after Bolsonaro showed support for the use of unproven treatments.

Luiz Henrique Mandetta, Brazil's former health minister, compared the country's 7,000 deaths equal to several plans packed with Brazilians that crashes every day, the Associated Press reports.

Experts believe the lack of widespread testing means the number of coronavirus cases may be many times higher than reported. A model created by researchers from a number of academic institutions in Brazil estimated the country has over 10 million infections.

What is President Jair Bolsonaro doing now?

On Wednesday, the far-right populist tested positive for the coronavirus for the second time. The results came a week after he announced he was infected with the deadly virus.

During a press conference, he claimed he wasn't experiencing any symptoms. He also removed his mask in front of the journalists, causing many to file a lawsuit against him.

Bolsonaro attended a flag ceremony on Wednesday. He was seen wearing a face mask and socially distancing himself from others.

In recent weeks, the president has continuously promoted the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine in treating the coronavirus. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said recent studies show the drug did not treat coronavirus symptoms. It also carried adverse side effects, including irregular heartbeats and death.

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