Brasilia, Jan 3 (IANS): Brazil has registered 314 new coronavirus fatalities, which increased the country's overall death toll to 195,725, the Ministry of Health said.

Besides the new fatalities, the country on Saturday reported 15,827 new cases, bringing the number of the total infections to 7,716,405, Xinhua news agency reported.

Brazil currently accounts for the third highest Covid-19 caseload after the US and India and the second highest death toll after the US.

The state of Sao Paulo, the most populous in the country, has registered 46,808 deaths and 1,467,953 cases in total, followed by Rio de Janeiro, with 25,608 deaths and 435,604 cases.

In Sao Paulo, the government has announced entering the red phase, which only allows for the operation of essential commercial activities.

On Saturday, Luiz Fux, president of the Supreme Federal Court, the highest court in the country, ruled against two measures from lower courts that had authorized the opening of bars and restaurants in Sao Paulo during the period prohibiting non-essential commercial activities.

According to official statistics, deaths from Covid-19 during December increased 64.45 per cent compared to November, rising from 13,263 to 21,811 in the country.