The state of São Paulo has announced new COVID-19 “red code” restrictions, as the country recorded a record number of coronavirus-related deaths for the second consecutive day.
The country’s health ministry said on Wednesday that 1,910 additional deaths and 71,704 new cases of COVID-19 had been reported in the past 24 hours.
It was the second consecutive day that Brazil recorded a record number of deaths.
“For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, we are seeing a deterioration across the country,” said the Fiocruz health institute before the latest figures were published.
“The situation is alarming.”
Brazil has recorded more than 257,000 coronavirus-related deaths – the second largest in the world after the United States – as well as more than 10.6 million cases of COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has faced widespread criticism and protests against his way of dealing with the pandemic, as the far-right leader has minimized the threat of the virus and avoided public health measures.
The government has also struggled to secure, distribute and administer COVID-19 vaccines.
On Wednesday, the governor of the State of São Paulo, João Doria, announced that a partial two-week blockade would take effect on Saturday, in an effort to contain the spread of the virus.
Bars and restaurants will operate only through deliveries and shopping malls and non-essential businesses will be closed, the governor told reporters at a news conference, but schools, churches, grocery stores and health services will remain open.
Doria said that the state of São Paulo, which is home to 46.3 million people, receives a new patient in intensive care every two minutes and is “on the verge of a collapse in the health system”.
“This is your fault. It is because of your denial,” he said, addressing Bolsonaro.
“More than 1,000 people die every day in Brazil. It’s like five plane crashes a day … Many of the Brazilians who were buried died because you didn’t do what you should: lead. “
People protested in Brazil earlier this year against President Jair Bolsonaro’s treatment of the pandemic [File: Amanda Perobelli/Reuters]
Bolsonaro attacked the blockades on Wednesday.
“You can’t panic, like using this policy of staying at home again. People are going to die of hunger and depression, ”he told a group of supporters.
Fear of new variants
Julio Ponce, an epidemiologist from São Paulo, told Al Jazeera that Bolsonaro “has been undermining all efforts to control the pandemic”.
“We need to have blocking measures, we need to wear masks and we need to maintain social distance until we can vaccinate enough people to be protected against the virus,” he said.
Concerns were heightened about the increase in the pandemic in Brazil, where a more easily transmissible variant of the new coronavirus was first discovered in the state of Amazonas at the end of last year.
The health care system in the state capital of Amazonas, Manaus, was overburdened earlier this year amid an increase in COVID-19 infections and a general shortage of medical supplies, including oxygen.
Experts warn that if Brazil fails to control the spread of COVID-19, it could become the epicenter of the virus mutation, which could potentially be more infectious and lethal.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro downplayed the threat of the new coronavirus and rejected blockade requests to curb its spread [Sergio Lima/AFP]
Meanwhile, Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello said he was close to an agreement with Pfizer Inc to buy doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, effectively overcoming a dispute over liability clauses.
The government said it plans to buy 100 million doses of Pfizer and 38 million of Janssen, the pharmaceutical subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.
“We have reached a serious pandemic moment. The coronavirus variants are attacking us aggressively, ”said Pazuello in a video posted on social media, adding that he expects Brazil to receive vaccines by May.