Brazil is facing “overload and even collapse of health systems” because of the increase in cases of COVID-19, a report by the state institute Fiocruz warned on Tuesday, as the country beat a new daily record of deaths by coronavirus .
Driving the news: According to the institute, more than 80% of the beds in intensive care units are occupied in 25 of the 27 Brazilian capitals. In Rio de Janeiro, 93% of the ICU beds are occupied and Brasília has only 3% available. The cities of Campo Grande (106%) and Porto Alegre (102%) have overcapacity.
- The Brazilian Ministry of Health reported on Tuesday another 1,972 deaths from the coronavirus and 70,764 new cases.
For registration: The country recorded the second highest number of coronavirus deaths (268,370) after the United States (527,643), according to data from Johns Hopkins.
- He reported the third highest number of cases in the world – more than 11.1 million since the pandemic began.
What they are saying: Jesem Orellana, an epidemiologist at Fiocruz, told AFP that “the fight against COVID-19 was lost in 2020” and “there is no chance of reversing this tragic circumstance” in the first half of this year.
- “The best we can do is wait for the miracle of mass vaccination or a radical change in the management of the pandemic,” he added.
- “Today, Brazil is a threat to humanity and an open-air laboratory where impunity in management seems to be the rule”.
Of importance: President Jair Bolsonaro, who has repeatedly minimized the virus, said last week that Brazilians should stop “complaining” about the pandemic and leave home, despite orders to stay at home imposed by local authorities, according to Reuters.