ILLUSTRATION. Corona vaccine. REUTERS / Carla Carniel
Source: Al Jazeera | Editor: Handoyo.
KONTAN.CO.ID – JAKARTA. Brazil’s state of Sao Paulo has announced new “code red” COVID-19 restrictions, as it recorded the number of coronavirus-related deaths for the second day in a row.
The country’s health ministry said on Wednesday that 1,910 additional deaths and 71,704 new cases of COVID-19 had been reported in the past 24 hours. It was the second day in a row that Brazil recorded a record high number of deaths.
“For the first time since the pandemic started, we are seeing a slump across the country,” the public health agency Fiocruz said before the latest figures were published.
The situation is worrying.
Brazil has recorded more than 257,000 coronavirus-related deaths, the second-highest in the world after the United States and more than 10.6 million cases of COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has faced widespread criticism and protests against his handling of the pandemic, as the far-right leader has downplayed the threat of the virus and avoided public health measures.
Also Read: The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed Brazil’s hospital system to the brink of collapse
The government is also struggling to secure, distribute and manage the COVID-19 vaccine.
On Wednesday, Sao Paulo State Governor Joao Doria announced that a two-week partial lockdown would take effect on Saturday in a bid to curb the spread of the virus.
Bars and restaurants will operate only via delivery and malls and non-essential businesses will be closed, the governor told reporters during a press conference, but schools, churches, grocery stores and health services will remain open.
Doria said the state of Sao Paulo, which is home to 46.3 million people, was receiving new intensive care patients every two minutes and was “on the brink of collapse of the health system”.
“It’s your fault. It’s your denial,” he said, speaking to Bolsonaro.
“More than 1,000 people die every day in Brazil. It’s like five plane crashes a day… Many Brazilians who have been buried die because you didn’t do what you’re supposed to do: lead. ”
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