The occupancy rate of the ICU beds peaked this week in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, reaching 96% occupancy on Sunday, according to data from the State Health Department.
Until Sunday, the city has 616 ICU beds dedicated to Covid-19 care.
Hospitals across the country faced a crisis in the ICU occupation as variants of the virus spread and the vaccine was slowly launched.
The mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, announced that new restrictive measures went into effect on Friday including a ban on the movement of people on the street between 11 pm and 5 am, local time, limited opening hours for bars and restaurants and a ban on events or parties in public and private areas, among others.
The mayor pointed out that the new measures were taken preventively, to avoid something more rigid, such as the total blockade.
Although the ICU occupancy rate in the state of Rio is around 73%, another eight of its cities have already collapsed. Bom Jesus, Miracema, Paraíba do Sul, Rio das Ostras, Saquarema, Sapucaia, Teresópolis and Três Rios are without ICU beds, according to data from the Rio de Janeiro State Health Department.
CNN asked the government what steps are being taken to address the possible health meltdown in the city of Rio de Janeiro, but has received no response.
The state of Rio de Janeiro has about 600,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 33,717 deaths, according to its health secretary on Sunday.