Death toll to remain high for months in Brazil

Brazil has become the second country after the United States to pass 400,000 COVID-19 deaths, and experts have warned the daily toll could remain high for several months due to slow vaccinations and loose social restrictions.

Brazil on Thursday registered 3,001 new COVID-19 deaths, taking its total since the pandemic began to 401,186 fatalities, the Health Ministry said.

A brutal surge of coronavirus infections this year pushed hospitals around the country to the brink of their capacities and led to 100,000 deaths in just over a month.

Brazil’s COVID-19 deaths have fallen slightly from a peak of more than 4,000 in a single day in early April, prompting many local governments to ease lockdowns.

But infectious disease experts warned eased restrictions would keep deaths elevated for months, as vaccines alone cannot be counted on to contain the virus. 

India has recently surpassed Brazil in average daily deaths, although Brazil has a higher cumulative toll despite having a population one-sixth the size of India’s.

The surge in infections is being driven by the P1 coronavirus variant discovered in Brazil that is believed to be 2.5 times more contagious that the original version.

The vaccine rollout, with only about 13 per cent of people having received one shot to date, has not been enough to contain the spread without social restrictions, researcher at government health institute Fiocruz, , Diego Xavier, said.

Many municipalities have run out of vaccines and cannot administer second shots as planned, while others have seen long lines as many people fear supplies will not last.

The Senate last week launched a special committee investigating possible wrongdoing in the government’s pandemic response, promising to call current and former top officials in Mr Bolsonaro’s administration to testify.