par Leonardo Benassatto
SAO PAULO, Jan.1 (Reuters) – As Brazilians rocket 2021 by witnessing fireworks with unusual social distancing measures, doctors at the bedside of COVID-19 patients in a care unit intensive near Sao Paulo observed a minute’s silence in memory of the victims of the epidemic.
The staff of a hospital located on the outskirts of Brazil’s most populous city stood at the foot of the beds of patients on respiratory assistance, before going around the rooms to convey greetings, without taking off their masks and other health protection.
For a time, the monotony of the rustling of respirators and other sounds emitted by the monitoring devices was broken by the sound of fireworks nearby.
In the country, the most affected in the world by the health crisis after the United States, the mood was not at the party everywhere, while 195,000 Brazilians succumbed to COVID-19 in the past year. The imminent arrival of vaccines, however, brought a glimmer of hope.
“I am sad to be separated from my family, but I expect to return home healthy,” said Vinicius Perreira, hospitalized five days earlier with serious lung problems. “I hope the vaccine will finally arrive in 2021 to be able to manage this disease and that we have a better year,” he added.
Doctors and nurses said they were exhausted by the struggle they have waged tirelessly since March to save lives.
“The minute of silence was very moving for me,” said Wakiria Miranda, a 19-year-old nurse, for whom the absence of Christmas Eve with her relatives was compensated, she said, by the joy. to bring some comfort to isolated patients. “I hope people will become more aware of the need for social distancing.”
With most of the usual New Year’s festivities canceled, Brazilians have mostly switched to the New Year from home.
The famous Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, which traditionally brings together 2 million people at that date, seemed empty. Hundreds of people went there, however, equipped with protective masks.
Local authorities shut down major metro lines during the day to avoid gatherings across Rio, as the city is experiencing an outbreak of the epidemic. Restaurants and bars, however, have attracted many customers.
More than 56,700 new cases of contamination and 1,074 additional deaths were reported Thursday in Brazil.
(French version Jean Terzian)
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