Brazil records second most virus deaths in the world, surpassing UK

Brazil's Marine Corps soldiers from the Nuclear, Biological, Chemical and Radiological Defense Company perform disinfection operations at Tram (VLT) stations in downtown Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. | Photographer: Andre Coelho | Bloomberg

Sao Paulo: Brazil surpassed the U.K. in number of deaths from Covid-19 as the pandemic continues to spread in Latin America’s largest nation.

The country reported 909 new deaths on Friday, according to data released by the states, bringing the total death count to 41,828. The number of infections rose by 25,982, pushing the toll to 828,810.

A new study showed the illness may be far more widespread in Brazil than official data suggests. Researchers at the University of Pelotas in southern Brazil estimate there are six unreported cases for every one confirmed diagnosis across 120 cities included in the study. In Rio de Janeiro alone, where there are 40,000 cases included in the federal government’s official tally, up to half a million people may have been exposed to the deadly disease since the pandemic began, they said.

“The number of people with antibodies is in the millions — not thousands,” the authors, led by university dean and coordinator of the study Pedro Hallal, said in a statement on Thursday.

The results from so-called quick antibody blood tests were adjusted for potential false negatives and false positives — estimated at 15% and 0.02%, respectively, Hallal said. Their conclusions are based on tests and interviews with a random group of more than 31,000 people conducted June 4-7.

While “marked differences” across regions in Brazil preclude the researchers from pinpointing exactly what percent of Brazil’s 210 million people may have already been exposed, it adds evidence to what health professionals and government officials have long suspected: In a nation where the government has shunned large-scale quarantines and where social and economic factors water down whatever few social-distancing measures have been ordered, the virus has been circulating largely unchecked.

Latin America

Inadequate testing, political turmoil and precarious health systems point to a similar picture across Latin America, where the total number of infections stands at over 1.4 million. The region now accounts for 46% of all deaths daily.

Brazil, Latin America largest nation and economy, trails only the U.S. in number of cases and deaths. The University of Washington’s Institution for Health Metrics and Evaluation, which the Trump administration has relied on, projects Brazil will overtake the U.S. in per-capita deaths by mid-July.

Northeastern states now have more cases than the region that’s home to Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, which started off as the epicenter of the pandemic in the country. Though the number of deaths in the Northeast is still lower — the Southeast accounts for almost half of all confirmed Covid fatalities — its mortality rate per 100,000 people is the highest among Brazil’s five regions.

While other countries begin to flatten the curve, Brazil’s scenario worsens
Meanwhile, several states and cities have started to lift quarantine orders that varied wildly across the country, amid growing pressure to reopen the economy. Scenes of crowds in shopping malls and busy streets have worried health experts who say the moves are coming too soon and will increase transmission of the virus again.

“It’s like we’re challenging the virus,” Hallal said in a webcast with newspaper Valor Economico on Friday. “It’s irresponsible, and could have very serious consequences. It’s very worrying.”- Bloomberg