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Brazil is about to become the new epicenter of the crown pandemic. In the past 24 hours, the number of confirmed coronary cases in the country has increased to more than 178,000, which is more than in Germany.
Unlike the most affected countries in Europe, the contagion curve continues to rise rapidly. The same is true of the number of victims.
The number of confirmed deaths in the last 24 hours was 881, which is the highest number to date.
The figures are also clearly at the bottom. Brazil’s testing capabilities lag far behind most European countries.
On Monday, Brazil had analyzed 338,000 coronation tests in the past three months. Another 145,000 tests await analysis. Germany, which has invested heavily in testing, analyzed almost the same number (300,000) in a single week.
In Manaus, many of the victims are buried in mass graves.
A bulldozer stands in front of a mass grave with crosses in hand
Image: EPA-EFE / RAPHAEL ALVES
The death toll found is just over 12,400 people, but that number is also roughly at the bottom.
Many poor Brazilians die in their homes without being tested or having access to care. Therefore, these deaths are not always recorded as coronary cases.
Already in late April, images from Manaus in northern Brazil showed that authorities were forced to open mass graves to deal with the large number of deaths in the city.
The death toll from the corona eruption in Manaus is likely to be significantly higher than official figures.
Several coffins in a row at a cemetery in Manaus, Brazil. Next to the coffins there are refugees
Image: EPA-EFE / All Over Press
Daniel Alves is part of a research group that investigated the infection situation in Brazil. According to the research group, the actual infection rate in the country is probably 10 to 15 times higher than official figures.
– Brazil only evaluates people who have to be admitted to the hospital, says researcher Domingo Alves.
– It is difficult to know what really happens from the data to which we have access. We have no real plan to deal with the outbreak. The pandemic is sweeping the country as it wishes, it told the AFP news agency.
Chaotic response
Brazil’s reaction to the pandemic has been chaotic. The country’s right-wing president, Jair Bolsonaro, opposes harsh measures on the grounds that damage to the economy is a greater threat than the virus.
Bolsonaro has repeatedly asked his followers to demonstrate against coronary restrictions.
Protesters wave the Brazilian flag and raise their fists to show their support for President Jair Bolsonaro
Image: EPA-EFE / All Over Press
At the same time, some states and governors have opposed the president’s will and have announced local closings.
Bolsonaro has responded with an order that classifies a number of industries, for example, hair salons and gyms, as a community carrier. This means that they cannot be closed to stop the spread of the infection.
At least ten governors have declared that they will not obey the order.
“Bolsonaro is marching towards a cliff and he wants to take us all the time,” Rio de Janeiro Governor Wilson Witzel wrote on Twitter.
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So far, only around 20 cities have decided on severe restrictions on freedom of movement. The effect of the measures is limited by the fact that Bolsonaro at the same time urges people to ignore calls to stay home.
Most of Brazil’s 27 state governors have criticized Bolsonaro’s claims, but so far none of them have announced mandatory curfews in their states.
Hospitals and hospitals in many cities are already full
A protective man looks forward behind a screen. In the background is a truck with an open tailgate
Image: EPA-EFE / RAPHAEL ALVES
The unclear situation has caused congestion in hospitals in many cities. At the same time, the virus continues to plague more or less freely.
Doctors state that they were forced to choose which patients they should care for and which ones should be left to die.
Avoid total disaster
Miguel Lago is the director of the Brazilian Institute for Health Policy Studies. The institute’s task is to provide medical care with advice and information.
“It is too late to avoid a hospital collapse, but it is definitely not too late to avoid a major disaster,” he says.
Lago says mandatory closings across the country would help the situation. According to him, the situation will quickly become critical if nothing is done.
– We must avoid a total disaster.
Difficult decision
Many politicians at the city and state level fear that strict quarantine regulations may prove unpopular.
Brazil holds local elections this year and governor elections in 2022, and many politicians are now concerned about its popularity figures.
But the rapid increase in the death toll has led several governors to rethink. For the past three days, governors in three northern states have introduced mandatory closings on their state capitals.
Decisions were made after the city’s intensive care units were occupied by covid-19 patients.
But in the main cities of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, authorities have not yet issued a curfew. This despite the fact that cities are severely affected by the pandemic.
– The curfew should have been introduced at least three weeks ago when the epidemic began to subside, but has not yet reached its momentum today, says doctor and researcher Margareth Dalcomo.
Sources: AFP, Reuters, AP, BBC
