BRAZIL HITS RECORD-HIGH DAILY COVID DEATHS AS HEALTH COUNCIL DEMANDED NATIONWIDE LOCKDOWN

Wed 03 March 2021:

Brazil on Tuesday posted its highest number of deaths from COVID-19 in a single day as political infighting exacerbated the country’s health crisis and the pace of its vaccination roll-out faltered.

Data from Tuesday showed 1641 people died within the latest 24-hour period. The previous daily high was 1595 on July 29.

Brazil has recorded a total of 257,361 deaths linked to Covid-19.

Almost 60,000 new infections were recorded in the Tuesday figures, bringing the total number of cases the country has seen to more than 10.6 million.

Only the United States and India have recorded more infections.

Brazil, which started its vaccination campaign in January, is one of the worst-hit countries by the pandemic worldwide.

After hospitals recently reached breaking point, the country’s health council demanded a nationwide lockdown.

Several cities and states last week began imposing a new round of restrictions in a bid to avoid overwhelming their already stretched hospitals.

President Jair Bolsonaro, who has downplayed the seriousness of the virus from the start, has recently called into question the fundamental need for a coronavirus vaccine.

He has rejected restrictions for economic reasons.

Brazil, a country of some 210 million people, remained largely open over Christmas, New Year, the summer holidays and Carnival week.

On Saturday, a delivery of materials to produce 12.2 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine arrived in Rio de Janeiro.

The Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz research institute plans to produce some 110 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine by the middle of the year using imported active ingredients.

In the second half of the year it should be able to independently produce another 110 million doses thanks to technology transfers.

Experts have warned that if Brazil is unable to control the spread of the COVID-19, it could become the epicentre of the mutation of the virus, which could potentially be more infectious and lethal.

The coronavirus variant that was first identified in Manaus in the Brazilian Amazon towards the end of last year triggered a renewed wave of cases that left the city’s hospitals without oxygen in January.

Research is currently under way to test the efficacy of the coronavirus vaccines against the variant, which has prompted countries to close their borders to people travelling from Brazil.

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