Brazil is facing an “unimaginable loss of lives” if immediate action is not taken to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, a team of public health experts warns. Led by Marcia Castro from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the team highlighted the dire situation in a report published in the journal Science.
“In Brazil, the federal response has been a dangerous combination of inaction and wrongdoing, including the promotion of chloroquine as treatment despite a lack of evidence,” the experts wrote. They attribute the escalating crisis to inequity and poor management by the Brazilian government in containing the virus and rolling out vaccines.
With over 360,000 deaths, Brazil holds the second-highest COVID-19 death toll globally. The country also ranks third in confirmed cases, surpassing 13 million infections. Hospitals in cities like Manaus have collapsed under the pressure, grappling with overwhelmed services and insufficient beds and supplies for the sick.
Data from state health secretaries indicate that 24 out of Brazil’s 27 states and federal district have 80% or more of their intensive care units occupied. In Rio de Janeiro, the impact is stark, with more deaths than births reported for the sixth consecutive month, according to the national Civil Register. At least ten other cities with populations over half a million also recorded more deaths than births in March.
Epidemiologist Dr. Fatima Marinho from the University of São Paulo has observed an increase in cases of multi-system inflammatory syndrome (MIS) during the pandemic. While rare, MIS can affect children up to six weeks after being infected with COVID-19. In Brazil, the BBC reports that 1,300 babies have died from COVID-19, with experts suggesting that the high caseload has increased the risk for infants and children.
The surge is further fueled by the P1 variant, a COVID-19 mutation first discovered in Brazil. Research from the public health institute Fiocruz indicates that this variant is up to 2.5 times more contagious than the original virus and may be resistant to antibodies. Experts express concern that continued viral spread could lead to more mutations.
“The pandemic being out of control in Brazil caused the variant. And it’s going to cause more variants. It’s going to cause more mutations because this is what happens when you let the virus replicate freely,” Natalia Pasternak, a Brazilian microbiologist, told CNN.
Pasternak also notes that Brazil may not see significant benefits from COVID-19 vaccines until the second half of 2021, when more doses become available. The vaccine rollout has been slow, hampered by delays in deliveries and production shortages. Despite the soaring number of cases and deaths, some Brazilian states and cities are easing COVID-19 restrictions. President Jair Bolsonaro has stated that the country will not implement a national lockdown.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
