Published 12:21 IST, July 3rd 2020
China tries to shift Covid blame to Brazil; claims Coronavirus detected there in November
China's claims are based on a 'new study' which suggests that the virus was active and circulating in the south American country as far back as November 2019.
Amid the global spike in COVID-19 cases, China has now blamed Brazil for the virus. China's claims are based on a 'new study' which suggests that the virus was active and circulating in the south American country as far back as November last year. The development was tweeted out by Chinese mouthpiece Global Times on Friday.
'Coronavirus was circulating in Brazil'
The Chinese mouthpiece shifted the blame on Brazil and stated that the virus was circulating in Brazil's Santa Catarina as far back as November 2019. China further alleges that the local scientists had detected the virus in several samples of human sewage, two months before the first case was officially 'detected' in the Americas.
This comes even as China is held as being the source of the Coronavirus, with unofficial estimates claiming that the outbreak may have begun as early as August, though China and the WHO kept downplaying it till at least January 2020.
COVID-19 in Brazil
Meanwhile, Brazil which is the second-worst affected countries has recorded over 1.5 million coronavirus cases till date. The virus death toll has crossed the 60,000-mark in Brazil. According to indigenous umbrella organization APIB, coronavirus has also impacted the tribals in the forest saying that over 400 people have died due to the disease so far and nearly 10,000 people have been infected. APIB also added that COVID-19 has infected people across 112 different tribes.
Updated 12:21 IST, July 3rd 2020