After the World Health Organization (WHO) warned Latin American governments about the risk of lifting lockdowns before slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus throughout the region, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro threatened on Friday to pull Brazil out of the WHO unless it ceases to be a "partisan political organization."

Reportedly, Bolsonaro has "repeatedly" clashed with the WHO over issues such as social distancing amid the pandemic. 

In the beginning of May, Bolsonaro claimed on Facebook - on a post he later deleted - that the organization encourages homosexuality and masturbation among young children, according to the South China Morning Post.

"This is the World Health Organization whose advice on coronavirus some people want me to follow," he wrote.

When asked about Brazil's efforts to loose social distancing orders despite the increasing death rates, WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris said a key criteria for lifting lockdowns was slowing transmission.

"The epidemic, the outbreak, in Latin America is deeply, deeply concerning," she told a news conference in Geneva. Among six key criteria for easing quarantines, she said, "one of them is ideally having your transmission declining."

With more than 34,000 lives lost, the country is seeing the highest rate of infection now.

Brazil's Health Ministry has reported late on Thursday that confirmed cases across the country had been over 600,000 and 1,437 deaths had been registered within 24 hours. 

In an editorial running the length of newspaper Folha de S.Paulo's front page, the Brazilian daily highlighted that just 100 days had passed since Bolsonaro described the virus now "killing a Brazilian per minute" as "a little flu."

"While you were reading this, another Brazilian died from the coronavirus," the newspaper said.

Bolsonaro's dismissal of the coronavirus risks to public health and efforts to lift state quarantines have drawn criticism from across the political spectrum in Brazil, where some accuse him of using the crisis to undermine democratic institutions.

But many of those critics are divided about the safety and effectiveness of anti-government demonstrations in the middle of a pandemic, especially after one small protest was met with an overwhelming show of police force last weekend.

(With input from agencies)