(Rio de Janeiro) Brazil passed the milestone on Friday 70 000 dead from the coronavirus, and with a level of new infections 24 hours always very high – more than 45 000 – which does not suggest a rapid change in the curve of the pandemic.
Published on 10 July 2020 in 19 h 21
Pascale TROUILLAUD
France Media Agency
After registering 1214 additional deaths in recent 24 hours, the highest daily figure among the countries affected in the world, the largest country in Latin America deplores in total 70 398 dead from COVID- 19, announced the Ministry of Health.
Contaminations amount to more than 1.8 million, with 45 048 new cases in a single day, according to these figures which are considered largely underestimated by the scientific community, Brazil does not practice large-scale testing.
This country of 212 million inhabitants recorded the most cases of contaminations and deaths in the world behind the United States.
The state of Sao Paulo (southeast) is by far the most affected with 17 442 death (for near 360 000 Confirmed cases), in front of that of Rio de Janeiro (also southeast), which deplores 11 280 death for near 130 000 contaminations.
This has not prevented these two richest states in the country from implementing a gradual return to normal recently, with the reopening of cafes, bars, restaurants or shops.
Almost four months after his first death from COVID – 19, Brazil deplores a daily death toll which remains above a thousand for a month.
This characteristic was not observed in most countries affected by the coronavirus before Brazil. This is cause for concern to experts that the country appears to be experiencing a plateau, but is at a high and continuing level.
The authorities will closely monitor the curves over the next few days when it is feared that the resumption of restaurant or bar activities in Rio and previously in Sao Paulo will cause a rebound.
“According to our projections, with these deconfinement scenarios, the number of contaminations will continue to increase until October-November, with fluctuations,” Domingos Alves, coordinator of the Laboratory health research (LIS).
The activity of the virus also varies very widely according to the regions of this country with continental dimensions: if the number of deaths remains stable in the South-East, it increases strongly in the South and generally decreases in the North.
“Small flu”
Brazil deplores, however 335 deaths per million inhabitants, a figure lower than that of the United States ( 403) or Spain (607) .
But this average hides very large regional disparities: thus the state of Rio de Janeiro records 653 deaths per million inhabitants and that Ceara (North-East) 742 – levels comparable to those of the countries hit hard.
Likewise, after having hit the capitals of the states with full force, the pandemic spread into the interior of these states and small communities often lacking intensive care beds and respirators.
President Jair Bolsonaro, 65 years, has himself been overtaken by the coronavirus which he often called “small flu”.
Since the announcement of his contamination on Tuesday, he says he feels “very good” thanks to the intake of hydroxychloroquine, the beneficial effects of which are however far from having been proven beyond any doubt.
Jair Bolsonaro has from the beginning downplayed the crisis that is shaking his country and has been fiercely hostile to containment, in the name of safeguarding the first economy in Latin America.
The population, on the other hand, is tired of confinement which, without being accompanied by coercive measures, lasted more than three months, and physical distancing has considerably eased.
No national policy has been implemented in Brazil against the pandemic. The governors of the various states acted in dispersed order, while being the target of the revenge of Jair Bolsonaro.