Brazil reported 3,251 deaths from COVID-19 on Tuesday, the first time it exceeded more than 3,000 deaths in one day, amid calls to the government and the new health minister to take steps to restore coronavirus infections in the country. land to curb.
In recent weeks, Latin America’s largest country has become the global epicenter of the pandemic, with more daily deaths from the virus than any other country. Tuesday’s record was bolstered by 1,021 deaths in Sao Paulo, the country’s most populous state. The previous record in the state was 713 deaths in one day, it reported last July.
The pandemic has brought state health systems to the brink of collapse as hospitals see their beds in intensive care units fill up and their oxygen supply for assisted breathing diminishing. Most of the country’s demarcations have taken measures to restrict activities in recent days, despite strong opposition from President Jair Bolsonaro.
In a four-minute speech broadcast on television and radio on Tuesday, Bolsonaro did not mention the new death report, but said the Brazilians “will return to normal lives very soon.”
“We will make 2021 the year of the vaccination of Brazilians,” Bolsonaro said, as cacerolazo protests against his government broke out in the country’s main cities. “That is the mission and we are going to fulfill it.”
Bolsonaro has repeatedly downplayed the severity of the pandemic by insisting that the economy must remain active to avoid further setbacks, in addition to criticizing the health measures taken by local governments. On Friday, he filed an appeal with the federal Supreme Court to overturn curfews in two of the states and the federal district, even though the court had previously held that governors and mayors had the power to impose such restrictions.
Public health experts and economists have said Bolsonaro presents a false tradeoff between maintaining health or economic well-being.
On Tuesday, cardiologist Marcelo Queiroga was sworn in as health minister, the fourth official to hold the post since the onset of the health crisis. Queiroga replaced Army General Eduardo Pazuello.
Queiroga’s swearing-in was postponed for a week because he divested his interests in companies in the health sector and the government was looking for a suitable position for Pazuello, Brazilian press releases said.
Carlos Lula, chair of the National Board of State Secretaries for Public Health, said in a statement that the coronavirus crisis has been exacerbated by the delay in vaccine procurement and the lack of a communication strategy on the importance of preventive action. He called on the new minister to cooperate with state and municipal governments.
Today, more than ever, the population needs national coordination to face COVID-19, with precise actions, based on science, that guarantee the prevention of new infections, facilitate the timely diagnosis of sick people and provide assistance to all Brazilians , ”Lula said in a statement.
Seven of the country’s 26 states have reported problems ensuring adequate oxygen supplies, the Health Department told The Associated Press Tuesday. The agency said it plans to send hundreds of medical oxygen cylinders, in addition to installing gas-generating plants.
Hundreds of Brazilian economists, including former finance ministers and former central bank presidents, called on the Brazilian government in an open letter published Monday to speed up vaccinations and enact tougher restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus, including possible lockdowns.
“This recession, as well as its damaging social consequences, was caused by the pandemic and will not be overcome until the pandemic is brought under control through competent federal government action,” the letter said.
“The controversy surrounding the economic consequences of social distancing reflects the false dilemma of saving lives versus ensuring the livelihood of a vulnerable population,” he adds.
Brazil is approaching 300,000 deaths from COVID-19, the second highest number in the world, after just the United States, according to the Johns Hopkins University census.