Brazil reports almost 80,000 infections and more than 2,000 deaths from covid-19 before the Copa América

(CNN) – Brazil recorded nearly 80,000 new daily COVID-19 infections and thousands of virus-related deaths on Saturday, a day before the continent’s largest soccer tournament at the national team level begins.

Brazil’s Ministry of Health reported 78,700 new cases of covid-19 on Saturday, bringing the total number reported during the pandemic to 17,374,818. The country also reported 2,037 additional deaths from Covid-19 on Saturday, increasing the country’s death toll to 486,272, one of the highest in the world.

This is the fourth day in a row that the country reports daily numbers of cases above 78,000 and daily deaths of more than 2,000. The Copa América is scheduled to begin this Sunday and last for a month, when it ends on July 13 at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

On Saturday it was revealed that 12 members of Venezuela’s national soccer team tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving in Brasilia ahead of the opening of the Copa América. The competition is scheduled to begin on Sunday with a match between Venezuela and Brazil in that same city.

Five players from the Venezuelan national team are among those who tested positive and will not be able to play. The others who tested positive are staff members.

Brazil’s Supreme Court voted Thursday to go ahead with the soccer tournament, ruling against three objections filed against Brazil as host of the tournament over concerns that it would further spike Covid-19 cases.

Rio de Janeiro. Credit: Mario Tama / Getty Images