Brazil has over 90,000 positive COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, a new daily record

Brazil registered this Wednesday more than 90,000 positive cases of COVID-19, a new daily record since the start of the pandemic. In this way, the total number in the South American country is close to 11.7 million positives, the second highest in the world behind the United States.

The latest report from the Ministry of Health also represents 2,648 deaths, the highest toll in one day after the record 2,841 deaths recorded on Monday and is close to 285,000.

The more than 90,000 confirmed infections in the current global epicenter of the pandemic have surpassed the 87,840 reported on January 7 and the 85,660 covid cases counted on March 12, which were the highest in a day to date.

The National Council of Health Secretaries, which publishes the reports, also explained that on Tuesday, 501 deaths and 9,331 positive cases had not been counted, so they were added to Wednesday’s report. However, they do not correspond to cases detected in the last 24 hours. When added to Tuesday’s tally, the death toll stands at 3,342 and the number of infections stands at 93,257. The former would be a larger record, and the latter would exceed today’s figure.

The average of deaths over the past week, meanwhile, rose to 2,017. The number of infections reached 70,219 cases in a single day. The two recordings. According to the portfolio balance, the death rate from covid remained at 2.4%, the death rate rose to 135.5 deaths per 100,000 population and the incidence rate was 5564.6 infected in the same proportion Population..

The increase in the number of deaths was expected in the South American giant, where the lack of places in intensive care units (ICU) means that the country is experiencing the biggest health and hospital collapse in its history, according to official data. .

EIn 25 of the country’s 27 states, ICU occupancy rates are at or above 80%, and in 19 capital cities, which have the largest populations, these specialized units have exceeded 90% of their capacity. In March, three states registered death certificates: Paraná (2,245 victims), Santa Catarina (1,600) and Río Grande do Sul (3,214).

The situation is even more alarming in Porto Alegre, the capital of the latter state and which concentrates the largest number of inhabitants in the region. Today, ICU demand in hospitals has exceeded capacity by 114 percent.

Many experts and entities have expressed concern about the health situation in the country, including the leaders of the World Health Organization. “The situation is deeply worrying and the measures to be taken must be as serious as possible to achieve significant progress”, warned Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus, director of the WHO last Friday. The authorities of the neighboring countries of the South American giant have also expressed their concern.

Newly appointed Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga said with outgoing chief Eduardo Pazuello that the main strategy to fight the disease This will be the vaccination campaign, so the results will be seen in the medium or long term.

Pazuello and Queiroga traveled to the headquarters of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), linked to the ministry, to receive the first batch of 500,000 vaccines produced by what is considered the largest health research center in Latin America. Fiocruz produces the inoculant developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford at its factories in Rio de Janeiro.

In public statements, the two have also defended immediate measures such as social distancing, despite being criticized by President Jair Bolsonaro. However, they did not give details of any implementation.

What society wants now is reduced mortality, reduced hospitalizations and control of the pandemic through a successful vaccination program, ”said Queiroga.

Fiocruz announced that this week it will deliver one million vaccines produced at its facilities and that From April, he will start administering six million doses per week until finishing 100 million in June or July..

For its part, the Butantan Institute, linked to the government of the State of São Paulo, has been producing the vaccine developed by the Chinese laboratory Sinovac for a few weeks.

“This is a good time for our ability to fight the pandemic. It’s a turning point“Said Pazuello, noting that with local production finally stabilized after some delays, Brazil, which has so far vaccinated 10 million people (4.8% of the population) and will be able to accelerate the process.

Brazil also announced this week the purchase of 100 million doses of the inoculant from Pfizer and 38 of the formula from Johnson & Johnson.

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