âA biological Fukushimaâ: Brazil COVID-19 deaths on track to rival US
Weâre sorry, this service is currently unavailable. Please try again later.
Dismiss
By Pedro Fonseca
Save
Normal text size
Advertisement
Rio de Janeiro: Brazilâs brutal surge in COVID-19 deaths will soon surpass the worst of a record January wave in the United States, and with hospitals at breaking point it could exceed total US deaths.
Fatalities climbed above 4000 in a day on Tuesday for the first time, taking the pandemic total to nearly 337,000, according to Health Ministry data, compared with more than 555,000 dead in the United States.
Subscription Notification
We have noticed that there is an issue with your subscription billing details. Please update your billing details here
Please update your billing information
The subscription details associated with this account need to be updated. Please update your billing details here to continue enjoying your subscription.
Your subscription will end shortly
Please update your billing details here to continue enjoying your access to the most informative and considered journalism in the UK.
Brazil has reported a 24-hour tally of Covid-19 deaths exceeding 4,000 for the first time, becoming the third nation to go above that daily threshold.
Many governors, mayors and judges are reopening parts of the economy despite lingering chaos in overcrowded hospitals and a collapsed health system in several parts of the country.
Brazil’s health ministry on Tuesday said 4,195 deaths were counted in the previous 24 hours, with the nation’s pandemic toll quickly approaching 340,000, the second highest in the world.
(PA Graphics)
Only the United States and Peru have had daily death tolls higher than 4,000.
Health officials said the figure was partly due to the Easter holiday, which delayed the count.
Brazil s brutal surge in Covid-19 deaths will soon surpass the worst of a record January wave in the United States, scientists forecast, with fatalities climbing for the first time above 4000 in a day on Tuesday as the outbreak overwhelms hospitals.
A nurse takes a moment to pray at a charity hospital in Belem, Para State, Brazil.
Photo: AFP
Brazil s overall death toll trails only the US outbreak, with nearly 337,000 killed, according to Health Ministry data, compared with more than 555,000 dead in the United States.
With Brazil s healthcare system at the breaking point, the country could exceed total US deaths, despite having a population two-thirds that of the United States, two experts told Reuters.
BBC News
Published
image captionBrazil has become the global epicentre of the Covid-19 pandemic
Brazil has recorded more than 4,000 Covid-related deaths in 24 hours for the first time, as a more contagious variant fuels a surge in cases.
Hospitals are overcrowded, with people dying as they wait for treatment in some cities, and the health system is on the brink of collapse in many areas.
The country s total death toll is now almost 337,000, second only to the US.
But President Jair Bolsonaro continues to oppose any lockdown measures to curb the outbreak.
He argues that the damage to the economy would be worse than the effects of the virus itself, and has tried to revert some of the restrictions imposed by local authorities in the courts.