Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- Sales of Brazilian wines have risen to a new record high this year, benefiting local producers, consulting firm Ideal Consulting told Xinhua recently.

"With the closure of bars and restaurants (due to the pandemic), and the events sector as a whole paralyzed, people began to consume wine at home. Although with the reopening, this trend should be reduced," said Felipe Galtaroca, the general director of the company.

BRASILIA, Nov 29 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — The number of registered Brazilians out of work and the national unemployment rate rose to the highest on record, official figures showed on Friday, as the easing of COVID-19 lockdown measures encouraged people to look for work again.

The unemployment rate in the three months through September rose to 14.6% from 14.4% in the three months to August, while the number of official unemployed rose to 14.1 million from 13.8 million, statistics agency IBGE said.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro says he won’t take any working COVID-19 vaccine himself and calls the use of masks to limit the spread of the disease “the last taboo to fall.”

Bolsonaro’s comments, broadcast on his social media channels Thursday night, alarmed health experts who said they could undermine efforts to achieve vaccination levels essential to halting the pandemic and might scare off vaccine makers negotiating with local authorities.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- China is an essential partner for Brazil as the South American country envisions a future combining economic growth with environmental sustainability, said Brazilian Vice President Hamilton Mourao on Thursday.

"China's new strategies for a circular and sustainable economy represent opportunities to expand and diversify our bilateral economic ties," Mourao said during the presentation of a document titled "Foundations for Brazil's long-term China strategy," organized by the Brazil-China Business Council.

SAO PAULO, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- The hospitalization rate of people who contracted the novel coronavirus was more than 34 percent lower among "sufficiently active" individuals, according to a study released Monday by the Sao Paulo State Research Support Foundation.

"Sufficiently active" was defined as at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic physical activity or 75 minutes of high intensity activity a week, the study said.

"It was possible to observe a reduction of 34.3 percent in hospitalization in the group considered sufficiently active," said the study.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov 19 (NNN-CMA) – The number of daily COVID-19 deaths has been rising in Brazil for the fourth consecutive day yesterday, the Ministry of Health said.

The ministry reported 140 deaths on Sunday, 216 on Monday, 685 on Tuesday, and 756 yesterday, raising the COVID-19 death toll in Brazil to 167,455.

The ministry also reported 34,091 new cases of infections, raising the national count to 5,945,849.

Brazil has the world’s second highest COVID-19 deaths, after the United States, and the third largest number of cases, after the United States and India.

BRASILIA, Nov 18 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Sharply weaker oil prices, the COVID-19 pandemic, and heightened geopolitical uncertainty have done little to blunt Brazil’s epic offshore oil boom.

By September 2020 Brazil had soared to be the third-largest supplier of crude oil to China, the world’s second-largest economy.

SAO PAULO, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro cast his vote on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro in the country's municipal elections, the first elections held during his administration.

Bolsonaro voted at a school in the Vila Militar neighborhood in western Rio de Janeiro, wearing a face mask required of all voters due to the novel coronavirus pandemic in the country, which, as of Saturday, had registered more than 5.8 million cases and over 165,000 deaths.

SAO PAULO, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) on Wednesday authorized the resumption of clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine CoronaVac, developed by Chinese biopharmaceutical producer Sinovac Biotech.

The move comes after Anvisa suspended phase three of the trials on Monday due to a "serious adverse event," believed to be the death of a volunteer.

According to the Civil Police, the death occured by suicide and was unrelated to the vaccine.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s health regulator has halted clinical trials of the potential coronavirus vaccine CoronaVac, citing an “adverse, serious event.”

The decision posted on Anvisa’s website Monday night elicited immediate surprise from parties involved in producing the vaccine.