By Jenny Ortuoste
Brazil on Thursday (April 29) became the second country to pass the 400,000-mark in terms of COVID-19 deaths after the U.S., which has now logged 589,207 fatalities, according to today’s Worldmeter data.
Brazil’s total cases stand at 14,592,886, with 401,417 deaths and 13,152,118 recoveries. Around 100,000 of the deaths occurred in April, the country’s deadliest month of the pandemic.
According to a report by the Associated Press (AP), local health experts fear another wave of the disease, similar to that being experienced by European countries, “due to a premature resumption of activity in states and cities combined with slow vaccination rollout,” with fewer than 6% of Brazilians fully inoculated against COVID-19.
Brazilian Health Ministry epidemiologist Wanderson Oliveira warned that a third wave may hit in mid-June.
It doesn’t help that many Brazilians do not observe social distancing measures and partial shutdowns enacted by local authorities.
Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro has refused to enforce lockdown restrictions, saying “if the lockdown policies continue, this country will be dragged to extreme poverty.” According to AP, he “has attacked mayors and governors who enforce restrictions to control the virus’ spread.” -jlo
