Relatives of Covid-19 victims cry at funeral in São Paulo cemetery (REUTERS / Amanda Perobelli)
Brazil often claims that a large number of deaths from COVID-19 are due to large numbers of residents, but The second wave of the pandemic has already made it the country with the highest death rate on the American continent and in the southern hemisphere.
The United States is the country with the highest number of coronavirus deaths in the world (almost 570,000), followed by Brazil (about 375,000).
But in deadlines relative, In recent days, Brazil, with 176 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, has come to the fore in relation to the most affected neighbors: Peru (174 / 100,000), USA (172) and Mexico (165), according to daily updates AFP Y. World based on official sources.
In relation to other Latin American countries, Argentina records just over 130 deaths out of 100,000 residents, just below Chile (131 / 100,000), and far from it Uruguay (56 / 100,000).
Patient with COVID-19 transferred to field hospital in Santo Andre, San Pablo (REUTERS / Amanda Perobelli)
The death rate in Brazil is 212 million, It can also surpass the national team of the United Kingdom (187 / 100,000) and Italy (194) in less than a month and lag behind only Belgium and from several Central and Eastern European countries, according to demographer Jose Eustace Alves.
«Brazil broke all its death records in March and April [por coronavirus] and made a leap in the world rankings, ”he said Tuesday AFP consultant, retired professor from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).
In Brazil, “now the highest mortality rate on the American continent and in the entire southern hemisphere,” added.
As for infections, In absolute terms, Brazil ranks third with almost 14 million infections, behind the United States and India.
A healthcare professional treats patients with Covid-19 at the Pedro della Antonio Municipal Hospital on April 15, 2021 in Santo Andre, São Paulo (EFE / Sebastiao Moreira)
The third wave?
In the last week the curve seems to have “stabilized on a high plateau”, below 3,000 deaths a day, Alves said.
But “With the arrival of winter there may be a new wave [austral]” and “mitigation of social isolation measures by governors and mayors,” he warned.
Many countries in the region and Europe have closed their borders to Brazilian travelers, due to a local variant of the virus called P1, it is considered much more contagious.
Globally the highest mortality rate from COVID-19 was recorded in Czech Republic (267 / 100,000 hours), Hungary (265) and six other countries in the region, as well as in Belgium, all with more than 200 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.
Relatives mourn the death of a loved one with Covid-19 during his funeral on April 13, 2021 in a cemetery in northern Rio de Janeiro (EFE / Andre Coelho)
“They are countries with a cold climate and a demographic structure that is quite outdated and more vulnerable,” In contrast to Brazil, where the population over the age of 65 is less than 10% of the total, Alves observed.
A recent study found that more than half of Brazilians admitted to intensive care in March were under 40, compared to 14.6% in the first wave of the pandemic a year ago.
To these factors is added a slow vaccination: Less than 13% of Brazilians received the first dose and 5% the second.
I’m under investigation
Brazil’s Supreme Court last week ordered the Senate to establish Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) on the causes of the health accident.
File of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonar during a ceremony at the Palace of Planalto (REUTERS / Ueslei Marcelino)
The CPI will start working next week with look at the policies of President Jair Bolsonar, who denied the seriousness of the pandemic, he promoted crowds of people without masks, questioned the effectiveness of vaccines and opposed measures of social isolation, citing their negative economic impact.
“The ICC will be very important because it will investigate bugs,” without which “mortality could be greatly reduced,” Alves said.
With AFP information
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