Coronavirus corpses lie beside live patients fighting the disease in shocking footage from Brazilian hospital after President Bolsonaro FIRED health minister who urged him to do more to fight pandemic

A shocking video showing bodies of dead coronavirus victims lying next to live patients fighting the disease has been captured from inside a Brazilian hospital.

The horrifying footage surfaced as Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro sparked anger for firing his health minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta for urging the government to do more to fight the pandemic.

In total, the bodies of 14 COVID-19 victims were being kept next to patients. 

The disturbing scenes were recorded at the Joao Lucio Emergency Hospital in the city of Manaus in the northern Brazilian state of Amazonas.

The video, reportedly recorded by a nurse, shows bodies of victims scattered throughout hospital hallways lying on gurneys, with some covered in blankets and next to intubated patients. 

Experts say Brazil's peak in the coronavirus outbreak is expected in the coming weeks, but Bolsonaro has repeatedly said it is just a 'little flu'

Mandetta, a respected orthopedist, promoted isolation and drew comparisons to Dr. Anthony Fauci over his handling of the pandemic, before he was axed. 

'You should have absolute certainty that we fought a good fight until here,' Mandetta told fellow ministry workers in a televised press conference Thursday after announcing his departure. 'But we're at the start of the battle.' 

Bolsonaro said on the same day: 'Life is priceless, but the economy and employment need to return to normality.'

The president, who has been called the Trump of the Tropics, said Mandetta's departure was a 'consensual' decision and insisted 'the health of the Brazilian people' is more important than any government official 

In a statement to the press regarding the hospital video, The State Secretary of Health said that the victims had died between the night of April 15 and the morning of the April 16, adding that five of the bodies have now been removed.

Nine of the victims' bodies remain in the hospital awaiting family members with death certificates, according to reports.

The statement read: 'The State Department of Health (Susam) clarifies that the 14 deaths that occurred at João Lúcio Hospital, between [Wednesday] evening and early Thursday morning, were of suspected patients from Covid-19.

'Of the 14 deaths, five had already been released until 5pm this Thursday, and nine were waiting for family members with death certificates.'

The Secretary of Health's statement said the hospital is now being used to treat COVID-19 patients as the larger Delphina Aziz Hospital is at full capacity. The number of beds there is being increased to meet the high level of demand.

'Susam also informs that the João Lúcio Hospital has been receiving suspected patients from Covid-19 until the number of beds at the Delphina Aziz Hospital is increased and the Nilton Lins Hospital is operational,' the statement said.

'With the expanded capacity of Delphina and the reinforcement of the beds in the rear hospital, HPS João Lúcio will be exclusively for urgent and emergency care to support the network.' 

Of the 14 people who died, the statement said eight were above 60-years-old, six had severe underlying health conditions and all were admitted to the hospital in a serious condition.

Five patients were admitted in the last 24 hours, according the statement, which added that 'all patients received adequate care and clinical management according to their needs, medication and oxygen.' 

Eleven emergency rooms in the state have been transferred into COVID-19 treatment centres, called 'pink rooms', with clinical and stabilisation beds along with ventilators for patients waiting to transfer to the Delphina Aziz Hospital.   

The number of COVID-19 cases in the state of Amazonas had reached 1,719 with 124 deaths yesterday, according to figures from Vigilance in Health Foundation, with one of the highest infection rates in Brazil at 303 cases per million inhabitants.

According to the latest figures from the Johns Hopkins University, Brazil has suffered 30,891 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 1,952 deaths.