Brazil has recorded more than 4,000 Covid-related deaths in 24 hours for the first time, as a more contagious variant fuels a surge in cases.

The coronavirus claimed 4,195 lives in the deadliest day of the pandemic yet for the hard-hit country, whose total reported death toll is now nearly 337,000, second only to the United States.

But President Jair Bolsonaro continues to oppose any lockdown measures to curb the outbreak.

He argues that the damage to the economy would be worse than the effects of the virus itself, and has tried to reverse some of the restrictions imposed by local authorities in the courts.

“We’re in a dreadful situation, and we’re not seeing effective measures by either state or federal governments” to respond, said epidemiologist Ethel Maciel of Espirito Santo Federal University.

“At the rate we’re vaccinating — 10 percent of the population (with a first dose) so far — the only way to slow the extremely fast spread of the virus is an effective lockdown for at least 20 days,” she told AFP.

“Unfortunately, politics has brought us where we are today: This enormous number of people who have lost their lives. Very sad.”

To date, Brazil has recorded more than 13 million cases of coronavirus, according to the health ministry. Some 66,570 people died with Covid-19 in March, more than double the previous monthly record.