In the coastal city of Rio de Janeiro, intensive care units are 95% occupied. Fifteen other state capitals are similarly on the verge of collapse, with an ICU occupancy of more than 90% – a deluge of hospitalizations that has accompanied a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases in the country.
“Here the war has become a war against the president. It seems that people only die from Covid,” Bolsonaro, who did not wear a mask, told supporters in front of the presidential palace on Thursday.
“Hospitals are 90% occupied. But we need to find out how many are from Covid and how many are from other illnesses,” he said.
Many state health departments in Brazil show data for the ICU capacity dedicated to Covid-19 and for other diseases.
On Thursday, the Brazilian Ministry of Health reported that another 2,724 people died from the virus that day, bringing the total to 287,499. These figures make Brazil the second most affected country in the world in number of cases and deaths, behind only the United States.
Bolsonaro, who has long downplayed the severity of the pandemic, also said on Thursday that he regretted the country’s deaths, but questioned the efficiency of the blockade measures, which he resisted imposing.
“Of course, we want a solution and we regret any death, but why did the blockade exist? You are seeing the population suffering from unemployment. Introduce me to a country where the fight against Covid is working,” said Bolsonaro.
As cases rise, the Brazilian president faces fierce criticism from citizens, potential political rivals and local officials across the country, many of whom have demanded that Bolsonaro step up federal action.
Former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who did not rule out the possibility of running again in 2022, criticized the current government’s response to the pandemic, saying Thursday that “there is no control in Brazil”.
Over the weekend, a joint letter from the country’s governors called on the president to restrict the operation of airports, ports, highways and railways in the country, among other measures. Many have already imposed local blocking measures.
The National Mayors Front (FNP) also sent a letter to the president and the ministry of health on Thursday calling for “immediate action” to address the critical shortage of supplies and medicines, including oxygen and sedatives.
“It is unreasonable for people, Brazilian citizens, to be driven to such desperate deaths by ‘drowning in the dry’ or to have to be tied up and to remain conscious during the delicate and painful process of intubation and throughout the period people are kept intubated “, says the letter.
The Federal Council of Pharmacy (CFF) says that the current flood of cases of Covid-19 generates “extreme concern”, as there is also evidence of a shortage of neuromuscular blockers and other drugs used in intensive care, such as midazolam, essential for a safe and human intubation.
The Council of Health Secretaries confirmed to CNN that these medications are at a critical level and could run out in 20 days.
Reporting by journalist Marcia Reverdosa from São Paulo and Radina Gigova from CNN in Atlanta. Rodrigo Pedroso and Caitlin Hu contributed to this story.