Brazil reports 23,227 new coronavirus cases, 661 deaths

A healthcare worker performs a PCR test on student Raiany Cristina da Silva at Almir Pereira Bahia Reverendo state school in Taboao da Serra, on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, Brazil October 15, 2020. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli

Brazil recorded 23,227 additional confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, and 661 deaths from COVID-19, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

Brazil has registered nearly 5.3 million cases of the virus since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 154,837, according to ministry data.

(Reporting by Pedro Fonseca; Editing by Chris Reese)