Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro goes back to his car after talking to supporters on May 20, 2020, in Brasilia. | Andressa Anholete/Getty Images

And the president is touting an unproven drug.

Brazil recorded its highest single-day coronavirus death toll on Tuesday: 1,179 fatalities.

It was another bleak statistic for the country, which has seen its coronavirus outbreak explode in the past few weeks. As of May 21, Brazil has confirmed more than 291,000 positive cases, the third-highest in the world, and more than 18,800 Brazilians have died of the virus. Inadequate testing means both the case count and the real death toll are likely higher.

It’s devastating — but it’s also what many predicted might happen in the Latin American country. Brazil’s public health system was already strained before the pandemic, and hospital systems in some of its major cities are now on