Brazil Counts Almost Twice As Many Daily Covid-19 Deaths As The U.S.
by Carlie PorterfieldTOPLINE
Brazil reported nearly twice as many new Covid-19 deaths as the U.S. in the previous 24 hours Tuesday, a menacing marker as the country emerges as the world’s new epicenter for the virus.
KEY FACTS
Brazil’s Health Ministry reported 1,039 new Covid-19 deaths Tuesday evening, compared to 592 deaths reported by the U.S.’ Centers for Disease Control.
Tuesday is the fifth day in a row that Brazil has reported the world’s highest number of daily Covid-19 deaths, totaling nearly 25,000 since the country counted its first case in late February.
The U.S. has been the hardest-hit country in the world for much of the pandemic, but Brazil’s steep fatality rate and increasing number of daily deaths indicate it is rapidly becoming the new Covid-19 hot spot.
The country saw an average of 935 deaths per day last week, with close to 1,200 deaths on Thursday alone, though most experts believe the fatalities have been undercounted—perhaps by as much as 40%, according to some scientists’ estimates.
President Jair Bolsonaro has seen his popularity drop significantly since the pandemic began, as he downplays the severity of the virus and continuously attacks social distancing measures, saying a weakened economy could be more deadly than the virus itself.
But 60% of Brazilians support stricter shelter-in-place orders according to a poll released Wednesday, while another poll found 58% of respondents were in favor of Bolsonaro being impeached.
WHAT TO WATCH
Experts believe Covid-19 cases and deaths will only continue to rise in Brazil in the following weeks. According to a Pan American Health Organization model, Brazil could count nearly 89,000 virus deaths by early August.
KEY BACKGROUND
The World Health Organization said Tuesday that the Americas are developing into the new global center of the Covid-19 pandemic, with new cases and deaths expected to continue in Latin American countries throughout the rest of the summer. Brazil was the first Latin American country to report a Covid-19 case on February 26, 2020, and still has the most in the region by far. Experts say sweeping poverty and rampant inequality in Brazil makes the country particularly vulnerable to the virus.
FURTHER READING
Brazil’s Daily Coronavirus Death Toll Surpasses That of U.S. (Wall Street Journal)
Coronavirus world round-up: Brazil's daily death toll highest in world (The Telegraph)
Brazil poll shows 60% support tougher lockdowns to combat coronavirus (Reuters)
Brazil’s Bolsonaro could soon be toppled, analysts say, as coronavirus cases surge (CNBC)
Why Brazil Will Likely Become The Global Coronavirus Hot Spot—If It’s Not Already (Forbes)