Brazil continues to mark grim milestones in its fight against the coronavirus. The country experienced its deadliest day since the start of the pandemic on Tuesday, with a record 4,195 new deaths from covid-19.
March was the deadliest month for the country since the start of the pandemic, with 66,573 registered deaths.
With almost 337,000 deaths in total and total cases exceeding 13 million, Brazil ranks second after the United States in terms of cases. It also accounted for about a third, about 28%, of all global deaths since March 21, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
UCI occupancy rates in nearly every state are 80% or more, according to local authorities. However, only 2.42% of Brazil’s total population has been fully vaccinated, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Brazilian doctor demands confinement to BolsonaroBrazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a skeptic of the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, continues to refuse to implement national security measures. On Wednesday, a day after Brazil reported the record number of deaths, Bolsonaro again criticized the adoption of restrictive measures to stop the spread of covid-19 in Brazil and said there will be no national blockade.
“We will look for alternatives, we will not accept the ‘stay at home’ policy and shut everything down. The virus will not go away. This virus, like others, is here to stay, and will remain for life. It is practically impossible to eradicate it, “said Bolsonaro.
On Tuesday, Bolsonaro dismissed the “genocidal” charges for failing to take adequate measures to address the crisis. “What am I not blamed for here in Brazil?”
A new report from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) published on Tuesday says that only a national confinement order with a minimum duration of two weeks could slow the rapid spread of coronavirus cases across the country.
“Confinement measures are a bitter remedy, but they are absolutely necessary in times of crisis and collapse of the health system like the one the country is experiencing. Only this will prevent more deaths and save lives effectively, ”says the Fiocruz report.