The coronavirus epidemic in Brazil has intensified, with more than 4,000 daily deaths recorded for the first time since the outbreak started in February of last year, reported The Guardian.
On Tuesday, at least 4,195 people were reported to have lost their lives, taking the total death toll to nearly 337,000 which is the world’s second-highest after the United States.
Brazil also reported 86,979 new infections. Experts warn that if nothing is done, a record 100,000 Brazilians could lose their lives this month alone, as per the report.
“It’s a nuclear reactor that has set off a chain reaction and is out of control. It’s a biological Fukushima,” Miguel Nicolelis, a Brazilian doctor and professor at Duke University in the US, who is closely tracking the virus told The Guardian.
As per the newspaper, despite the rising crisis, Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s far-right president, continues to oppose a lockdown and downplay the epidemic. Last week, he asked, “In which country aren’t people dying?”
Brazil, with 212 million people compared to 328 million in the United States, is forecast to surpass the US weekly average for daily deaths in the coming days.
According to the report, Covid-19 patients are occupying more than 90% of intensive care beds in most Brazilian states, though the numbers have stabilized in the last week. Hundreds of people are already dying while waiting for treatment, and vital supplies including oxygen and sedatives are running out in some states.
According to Our World in Data, an online research site, only about 3% of Brazil’s 210 million citizens have received both coronavirus vaccine doses.
