Brazil reports 679 new coronavirus deaths amid controversy over data

FILE PHOTO: Gravediggers wearing protective suits bury the coffin of 70-year-old Manuel Farias, who died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at Recanto da Paz cemetery, in Breves, southwest of Marajo island in Para state, Brazil, June 7, 2020. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino

Brazil reported 679 new COVID-19 deaths and 15,654 additional confirmed cases on Monday, as controversy grew over the country's official coronavirus data amid allegations of manipulation from a senior lawmaker.

Brazil's Health Ministry removed data from its website over the weekend and stopped releasing cumulative totals for coronavirus deaths and infections. The move came soon after it released two contradictory sets of data.

A person walks near a graffiti depicting a woman wearing a protective face mask, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 8, 2020. The graffiti reads: "Stay at home". REUTERS/Sergio Moraes

The numbers the government issued on Monday were the same as those reported earlier by the National Council of Health Secretaries (Conass), which brings together the heads of Brazil's state health departments but is separate from the federal health ministry.

According to Conass, Brazil's death toll now stands at 37,134, the world's third highest after the United States and Britain. There were 707,412 confirmed cases as of Monday, the second highest level after the United States.

In a statement on Monday, the health ministry said its weekend dataset problems stemmed primarily from mistakes in the numbers from two states that were later corrected.

Men run near a graffiti depicting a woman wearing a protective face mask, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 8, 2020. REUTERS/Sergio Moraes

But discrepancies in the daily death toll it reported prompted criticism from across the political spectrum, including a call for a congressional inquiry.

"By changing the numbers, the Ministry of Health covers the sun with a sieve," Rodrigo Maia, speaker of the lower house, said on Twitter.

"The credibility of the statistics needs to be urgently recovered. A ministry that manipulates numbers creates a parallel world in order not to face the reality of the facts," he added.

A man and a child walk near a graffiti depicting a woman wearing a protective face mask, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 8, 2020. The graffiti reads: "Stay at home". REUTERS/Sergio Moraes

Senator Eliziane Gama, leader of centrist party Citizenship, asked the Senate to open an inquiry into the numbers, while the World Health Organization (WHO) stressed the importance of "consistent and transparent" communication from Brazil.

For Carlos Machado, head of research at the National School of Public Health, the lack of dependable data in Brazil is dangerous.

"Not having updated and reliable data during a pandemic of this proportion is like driving in the dark," he said.

Men walk near a graffiti depicting a woman wearing a protective face mask, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 8, 2020. REUTERS/Sergio Moraes

"While we do not have a vaccine, information is the best weapon we have," he added.

(Reporting by Pedro Fonseca and Eduardo Simoes; additional reporting by Emma Farge in Geneva, writing by Stephen Eisenhammer and Anthony Boadle; editing by Rosalba O'Brien, Richard Chang and Tom Brown)

Artists perform during a protest to honour people who died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during its outbreak in Brasilia, Brazil June 8, 2020. REUTERS/Adriano Machado

Artists kneel during a protest to honour people who died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during its outbreak in Brasilia, Brazil June 8, 2020. REUTERS/Adriano Machado

Artists perform with during a protest to honour people who died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during its outbreak in Brasilia, Brazil June 8, 2020. REUTERS/Adriano Machado

An artist cries durning a protest to honour people who died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during its outbreak in Brasilia, Brazil June 8, 2020. REUTERS/Adriano Machado

Artists perform with red balloons at a protest to honour people who died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during its outbreak in Brasilia, Brazil June 8, 2020. REUTERS/Adriano Machado

Artists perform with red balloons at a protest to honour people who died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during its outbreak in Brasilia, Brazil June 8, 2020. REUTERS/Adriano Machado

Artists perform with red balloons at a protest to honour people who died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during its outbreak in Brasilia, Brazil June 8, 2020. REUTERS/Adriano Machado

An artist spits fire during a protest to honour people who died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during its outbreak in Brasilia, Brazil June 8, 2020. REUTERS/Adriano Machado

Artists perform with red balloons at a protest to honour people who died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during its outbreak in Brasilia, Brazil June 8, 2020. REUTERS/Adriano Machado

An artist spits fire during a protest to honour people who died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during its outbreak in Brasilia, Brazil June 8, 2020. REUTERS/Adriano Machado

An artist performs with red balloon and smoke at a protest to honour people who died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during its outbreak in Brasilia, Brazil June 8, 2020. REUTERS/Adriano Machado

Artists perform with red balloons at a protest to honour people who died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during its outbreak in Brasilia, Brazil June 8, 2020. REUTERS/Adriano Machado

An artist performs during a protest to honour people who died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during its outbreak in Brasilia, Brazil June 8, 2020. REUTERS/Adriano Machado