A leading scientist has warned that Brazil’s snowy COVID-19 outbreak could reverse progress in the fight against the global pandemic.
Miguel Nicolelis, a Duke University neuroscientist who follows the crisis, called on the international community to put pressure on the Brazilian government to more aggressively contain the new variant, known as P.1., Which is spreading rapidly there , the Guardian reported.
“The world needs to speak out strongly about the risks Brazil poses to the fight against the pandemic,” said Nicolelis, who spent most of last year in São Paulo.
“What is the point of solving the pandemic in Europe or the United States if Brazil remains a breeding ground for this virus?”
Nicolelis warned that failure to prevent the virus from spreading could cause it to mutate further into more dangerous variants.
“If you allow the virus to spread at the levels it is currently spreading here, you open the door for new mutations to emerge and even more deadly variants to emerge,” he said.
The scientist also condemned President Jair Bolsonaro’s leadership, who repeatedly downplayed the crisis, by warning that it has international implications.
“The policies he is not putting into practice jeopardize the fight against the planet-wide pandemic,” he said.
According to figures from Johns Hopkins University, Brazil currently has the world’s second highest COVID-19 death toll, with more than 257,000 victims.
According to data from the Ministry of Health, the country has endured its deadliest week to date with an average of nearly 1,200 virus-related victims per day.
Since the start of the pandemic, there have been more than 10.6 million confirmed cases in the country, data shows.
With pole wires