Brazil Passes 200,000 Covid Deaths as Cases Spike

BRAZIL has passed the bleak milestone of 200,000 Covid-19 deaths as cases spike across the country after New Year’s holidays.

The vast South American country’s Health Ministry announced on Thursday (January 7th) that Brazil had passed 200,000 Covid deaths, alongside a record daily rate of new infections at 87,843.

Experts have blamed the surge in cases on recent New Year’s holidays when many Brazilians traveled across the country. Many took to beach resorts, including controversial President Jair Bolsonaro who has repeatedly downplayed the dangers of the virus during the pandemic.

Some analysts have warned that Brazil has yet to see its peak in infections. “What we expect is that after January 15, we will, unfortunately, face a critical state again in hospitals,” said Rafael Deucher, a doctor in Paraná state, where only 20% of intensive care units are available to new patients.

Since the pandemic began, nearly 8 million Brazilians have been infected and 200,498 have died from the coronavirus. This makes Brazil the world’s second-worst affected country by the outbreak, after the US.

Thank you for taking the time to read this news article “Brazil Passes 200,000 Covid Deaths as Cases Spike”. For more UK daily news, Spanish daily news and Global news stories, visit the Euro Weekly News home page.