Brasilia [Brazil], April 23 (ANI/Xinhua): Brazil on Thursday reported 45,178 new COVID-19 cases, bringing its total caseload to 14,167,973.

Meanwhile, 2,027 died from COVID-19, raising the national death toll to 383,502, the Ministry of Health said.

During a Senate hearing Thursday, Carlos Lula, head of the National Council of State Health Secretariats, proposed suspending all elective non-urgent surgeries at public and private hospitals to lessen hospital occupancy, as surging COVID-19 cases continue to demand large number of hospital beds.

Brazil began its vaccination drive in January, and has already administered 38,470,541 doses. (ANI/Xinhua)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)