Over a thousand deaths in 24 hours. This is the worst record since the arrival of the coronavirus in Brazil. And by far. On May 12, there were reports of 881 deaths in one day. A “record” which is therefore largely exceeded today.
Even if these figures are impressive, they are probably far from reflecting the real disaster that is happening in Brazil.
The specialists are formal, the number of tests carried out in this huge country is far too few to be close to reality.
►►► Read also : Our file on the coronavirus
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We lose the battle
Twelve hours and 62 burials. It is at this infernal rate that the gravediggers in the Vila Formosa cemetery in Sao Paulo work. A restless day where families follow one another tirelessly, without having time to pray or meditate. The reality of the pandemic is revealed in this place. Or in the hallways of crowded hospitals.
“We are losing the battle against the virus, that is the reality. At the moment, the virus is winning the war. The coming days, this long weekend, I do not see them as holidays, but I see them as days of battle. The most important days in the fight against the virus. “
Dimas Covas, director of an emergency center in Sao Paulo, is very clear about what is happening. His service is not the only one reaching saturation.
According to the Ministry of Health, lhe new cases progressed from 17,408 in 24 hours. And the intensive care units of hospitals in the states of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro (southeast), Ceara, Amazonas or Pernambuco (north and northeast) are very close to saturation.
But it’s good Sao Paulo, the economic capital of Brazil with 46 million inhabitants, which has recorded 5,147 deaths, nearly a third of the whole country, with nearly 66,000 cases.
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A dramatic but underestimated situation
Brazil has carried out, according to official figures, 735,224 tests, barely more than Belgium. For a population of 212 million inhabitants. We quickly understand that the advanced assessments are not a reflection of reality.
And yet, even with this truncated assessment of the moment, Brazil has become the third country in the world in number of contaminations. Behind the United States and Russia. If the trend continues over the next few days, Brazil will experience an acceleration of the pandemic, the peak of which is not expected by experts until early June.
The scientific community even estimates that the figures of the ministry are very underestimated, perhaps up to 15 times, because of the too low rate of detection in the population.
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Chloroquine rather than distancing
The Brazilian Ministry of Health has recently recommended the use of chloroquine, previously restricted to severe cases, for mild patients with Covid-19, following the daily death record. This recommendation was made in a document of the ministry, of which the minister, Nelson Teich had resigned last Friday because of strong pressures of president Jair Bolsonaro, convinced of the unproven effects to date of chloroquine to fight against the pandemic which made already nearly 18,000 dead in Brazil.
“I do not agree, because the government does not exercise the role of a political leader who unites Brazil in this fight. The Ministry of Health does not articulate and coordinate its work with the different states and municipalities. The government sabotages the policy of social distancing and even sells the idea of a miracle drug to solve this problem, which does not correspond to reality. “ The statement was made by Humberto Costa, a former health minister in Brazil, chaired by Lula.
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