<span style="color: #222222;">Brazil has exceeded 2,000 Covid-related deaths in a single day for the first time on wednesday, as infection rates soar. The country has the second highest death toll in the world, behind the US, with a total of 268,370 fatalities.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">On Wednesday, the country recorded 79,876 new cases, the third highest number in a single day. A surge in cases in recent days has been attributed to the spread of a highly contagious variant of the virus – named P1. Experts warn the transmission rate is made worse by more contagious variants.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />''World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has described the situation in Brazil as "very concerning" and warned of a possible regional spillover.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />''Today is the anniversary of a pandemic being declared by the World Health Organization. Worldwide more than 118 million cases of the virus have been recorded, and more than 2.6 million deaths.</span>