Second wave of coronavirus in Brazil: more contagious and deadly than the first

The booming second wave of CODVID-19 in Brazil proves more contagious and deadly: the data indicates a 35% increase in deaths compared to the previous week. Today it has passed 180,000 deaths and there are more than 7 million infected Brazilians, 21 Brazilian states and the capital, Brasilia, show a marked increase in the number of infected and deaths.

In the state of San Pablo there is an alarm. The coordinator of the Coronavirus Contingency Center, José Medina, revealed that Brazil had returned to 40,000 daily cases of contamination in just one month, between November and December. “In March, the first peak took three months” to reach this figure. In his opinion, this reveals the speed at which the pandemic has resumed, which puts this second phase in a more dire situation than the first: projections indicate that by Christmas the number of infected per day could reach 20 thousand in the territory. paulista. To stop the progression of the epidemic, only the vaccine is seen as an alternative: Governor Joao Doria reported that yesterday the production of Coronavac had started at the Butantan Institute. The immunizer was developed under an agreement with the Sinovac laboratory in China. And the plant, located in the capital of São Paulo, will operate 24 hours a day, every day. The plan is to achieve a daily treatment of one million doses. At this point, local manufacturing will include packaging and labeling; with import of raw material from Chinese laboratory; but it is estimated that by the middle of next year production will be entirely Brazilian.

To stop the progression of the epidemic, only the vaccine is considered as an alternative

Faced with this dark prospect, shadow of reinfection was added this week. The Ministry of Health has reported a proven case. This is a 37-year-old doctor who lives in Natal (Rio Grande do Norte) and to determine the second contagion, specialists used a genetic sequencing method designed by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz). They discovered the doctor was affected by two different lineages of the coronavirus. 58 other suspected cases are under investigation.

President Jair Bolsonaro said this Thursday at a ceremony in Rio Grande do Sul that “The pandemic is already over.” SHis words have generated a lot of noise, because they confront a reality that would indicate otherwise. In the meantime, the government is slow to define a national vaccination plan. Thus, each provincial state supports its own. And not just San Pablo. There are eleven others who are already negotiating an agreement with Butantan to receive the Coronavac. The director of this institute, Dimas Covas, once again offered the vaccine to Federal Minister of Health Eduardo Pazuello. “If the ministry formalizes its interest, the doses will be made available to be implemented by the National Immunization Program.

President Jair Bolsonaro told a ceremony in Rio Grande do Sul that “the pandemic is already over”

The Supreme Court said it was preparing to intervene in case of difficulty, due to delays by the National Health Surveillance Agency in the emergency approval of the various vaccines. The judges of the Federal Supreme Court warned that there was a strong conviction among them to oblige, if necessary, the executive branch to provide the vaccines. The STF will meet on Thursday 17th to decide what action to take if the Bolsonaro government has not yet presented a vaccination plan.

A law promulgated last February (13,979), and partially amended in March, orrequires Anvisa to demonstrate, within 72 hours, the import and distribution of any foreign medical equipment and supplies, who already have the register of the health authority of the countries of origin. If Anvisa does not comply with this mandate, the authorization will be done automatically in Brazil.

* Author from Brazil 7 days. From São Paulo, Brazil.