03/22/21 By Giulia Campos
Brazil gets its fourth Minister of Health since the start of the pandemic as the death toll reaches the highest record yet with 2,841 dying within 24 hours. Brazilians fear facing the worst crisis in its health system’ history.
With over 11.6 million reported cases, intensive care units in hospitals run out of capacity. Covid-19 units in all but two of Brazil’s 26 states and the federal district are at or above 80% capacity, according to Fiocruz, Brazil’s leading health institute.
“The analysis by our researchers suggests it’s the biggest collapse of the hospital and health service in Brazil’s history,” Fiocruz said.
Despite the country’s worsening coronavirus crisis, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro continues to downplay the seriousness of the pandemic. He recently publicly condemned the vaccine, warning those who take it will turn into crocodiles.
“The hope of a change, of course, lies in electoral pressure, the only thing that has an effect on Bolsonaro,” read an editorial in the daily newspaper O Estado de São Paulo.
As the COVID-19 death toll reaches its highest daily count yet, Brazilian cities are moving back into strict lockdowns in an attempt to avoid the total collapse of the country’s health system.