Covid-19 deaths and cases continue above “very high” rate in Brazil
by Rafael Lima · The Brazilian ReportAccording to the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation’s (Fiocruz) InfoGripe report, Covid-19 figures for deaths and new confirmed cases continue above the “very high” rate of occurrence in Brazil during the last week of July.
The report, which monitors the occurrence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) cases in Brazil, also warns that if the rate of new Covid-19 deaths and cases continues at its current level, Brazil will be in the “at risk” category for a second wave of Covid-19 cases. “All the regions in Brazil present a very high occurrence of cases and are still in the at-risk zone,” said InfoGripe Coordinator Marcelo Gomes.
The Brazilian states of Amapá, Ceará, and Rio de Janeiro are showing new increases in cases. With the exception of Maranhão, which seems to have stabilized for now, the latest InfoGripe report reinforces Fiocruz’s early assessment of states likely to experience an uptick in Covid-19 cases.
The states of Tocantins, Sergipe, Paraná and Santa Catarina are showing early signs of a possible decline in Covid-19 cases. In São Paulo, despite the recent decline of the Covid-19 case trend, the change in figures could be attributed to a normal “oscillation” in numbers that the state has been showing since May, explains Mr. Gomes.
Yet, no state has shown a significant decline in cases for an extended period of time to be considered not at risk of a new spike in cases and deaths.
A second wave of Covid-19 cases could push Brazil even closer to the U.S.’s status as the world leader in total Covid-19 cases and deaths. The U.S. has registered 163,000 deaths, compared to Brazil’s 98,844. According to Infogripe, the novel coronavirus is responsible for 96.7 percent of all SARS cases in Brazil and for 99.1 percent of SARS-related deaths.
A second wave would also be devastating for Brazil’s damaged economy, which is already predicted to shrink by at least 5 percent this year. The Brazilian Report previously covered what a second wave scenario could do to Brazil’s struggling businesses.