The number of deaths related to Covid-19 has passed 500,000 in Brazil, the second-highest

in the world, as experts say the outbreak could worsen amid slow vaccination and the start
of winter.
The virus continues to spread as President Jair Bolsonaro refuses to back measures
like social distancing.
The health institute Fiocruz says the situation is "critical". Only 15% of adults are fully
vaccinated.
Congress is investigating the government's handling of the pandemic.

Dr Natalia Pasternak Taschner, a microbiologist at the Question of Science Institute,

told the BBC she saw little sign that the rise in victims would slow.
 Covid - what's gone wrong in Brazil?
 Why are so many babies dying of Covid-19 in Brazil?
 What happened when a whole town got Covid jabs?

"People in Brazil are tired and they normalise death now so I think we still have a long
way to go," she said.
"If we're not successful in changing the behaviour of people and if we don't have
campaigns for mask wearing, social distancing and vaccinations coming directly from
the central government we're not going to be able to control it."
President Bolsonaro has been heavily criticised for not implementing a co-ordinated
national response and for his scepticism toward vaccines, lockdowns and mask-wearing
requirements, which he has sought to loosen.
In rallies in Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and elsewhere, furious Brazilians carried banners
with slogans like "Bolsonaro must go" or simply "500,000."
"His position on Covid and his denialism are absurd. He has abandoned reality and
common sense. There is no explaining this, it is surreal," Robert Almeida, a 50-year-old
marching in Rio, told AFP.

Protester Denise Azevedo told Reuters: "Herd immunity won't do any good. The only
immunity you can get is with the vaccine. There is no early treatment. I have lost
millions of friends, almost lost a cousin... people are orphans, fatherless, motherless,
and childless."
The president has said the impact of lockdowns on the economy would be worse than
the virus, and insists he has done all he can to buy vaccines from several countries.
But the opposition accuses him of delaying vaccine orders for political reasons, as he
has consistently played down the severity of the pandemic.
The outbreak in Brazil has been fuelled by more transmissible variants of the virus,
including the one first identified in the Amazon region and now known as Gamma. An
average of 70,000 cases has been confirmed daily in the last week.
"Brazil faces a critical scenario of community transmission... with the possibility of
worsening in the coming weeks due to the start of winter," Fiocruz said.
 The rate of occupancy of intensive care unit beds remains at or above 80% in most
states, and experts warn the start of winter in the southern hemisphere, next week,
could result in more infections.
In a tweet, Lidiane Cunha said her dad had waited four days for intensive care before he
died in a crowded hospital unit in Brazil. "I keep thinking that had he received proper
care earlier, he would have been alive," she wrote.
On Twitter, Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga expressed solidarity with the "fathers,
mothers, friends and relatives" of those who had died, saying: "500,000 lives lost due to
the pandemic that affects our Brazil and the whole world."
Only the US has reported more deaths related to Covid-19.

The number of deaths related to Covid-19 has passed 500,000 in Brazil, the second-highest
in the world, as experts say the outbreak could worsen amid slow vaccination and the start
of winter.
The virus continues to spread as President Jair Bolsonaro refuses to back measures
like social distancing.
The health institute Fiocruz says the situation is "critical". Only 15% of adults are fully
vaccinated.
Congress is investigating the government's handling of the pandemic.

Dr Natalia Pasternak Taschner, a microbiologist at the Question of Science Institute,

told the BBC she saw little sign that the rise in victims would slow.
 Covid - what's gone wrong in Brazil?
 Why are so many babies dying of Covid-19 in Brazil?
 What happened when a whole town got Covid jabs?

"People in Brazil are tired and they normalise death now so I think we still have a long
way to go," she said.
"If we're not successful in changing the behaviour of people and if we don't have
campaigns for mask wearing, social distancing and vaccinations coming directly from
the central government we're not going to be able to control it."
President Bolsonaro has been heavily criticised for not implementing a co-ordinated
national response and for his scepticism toward vaccines, lockdowns and mask-wearing
requirements, which he has sought to loosen.
In rallies in Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and elsewhere, furious Brazilians carried banners
with slogans like "Bolsonaro must go" or simply "500,000."
"His position on Covid and his denialism are absurd. He has abandoned reality and
common sense. There is no explaining this, it is surreal," Robert Almeida, a 50-year-old
marching in Rio, told AFP.
 Protester Denise Azevedo told Reuters: "Herd immunity won't do any good. The only
immunity you can get is with the vaccine. There is no early treatment. I have lost
millions of friends, almost lost a cousin... people are orphans, fatherless, motherless,
and childless."
The president has said the impact of lockdowns on the economy would be worse than
the virus, and insists he has done all he can to buy vaccines from several countries.
But the opposition accuses him of delaying vaccine orders for political reasons, as he
has consistently played down the severity of the pandemic.
The outbreak in Brazil has been fuelled by more transmissible variants of the virus,
including the one first identified in the Amazon region and now known as Gamma. An
average of 70,000 cases has been confirmed daily in the last week.
"Brazil faces a critical scenario of community transmission... with the possibility of
worsening in the coming weeks due to the start of winter," Fiocruz said.
The rate of occupancy of intensive care unit beds remains at or above 80% in most
states, and experts warn the start of winter in the southern hemisphere, next week,
could result in more infections.
In a tweet, Lidiane Cunha said her dad had waited four days for intensive care before he
died in a crowded hospital unit in Brazil. "I keep thinking that had he received proper
care earlier, he would have been alive," she wrote.
On Twitter, Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga expressed solidarity with the "fathers,
mothers, friends and relatives" of those who had died, saying: "500,000 lives lost due to
the pandemic that affects our Brazil and the whole world."
Only the US has reported more deaths related to Covid-19.

The number of deaths related to Covid-19 has passed 500,000 in Brazil, the second-highest
in the world, as experts say the outbreak could worsen amid slow vaccination and the start
of winter.
The virus continues to spread as President Jair Bolsonaro refuses to back measures
like social distancing.
The health institute Fiocruz says the situation is "critical". Only 15% of adults are fully
vaccinated.
Congress is investigating the government's handling of the pandemic.

Dr Natalia Pasternak Taschner, a microbiologist at the Question of Science Institute,

told the BBC she saw little sign that the rise in victims would slow.
 Covid - what's gone wrong in Brazil?
 Why are so many babies dying of Covid-19 in Brazil?
 What happened when a whole town got Covid jabs?

"People in Brazil are tired and they normalise death now so I think we still have a long
way to go," she said.
"If we're not successful in changing the behaviour of people and if we don't have
campaigns for mask wearing, social distancing and vaccinations coming directly from
the central government we're not going to be able to control it."
President Bolsonaro has been heavily criticised for not implementing a co-ordinated
national response and for his scepticism toward vaccines, lockdowns and mask-wearing
requirements, which he has sought to loosen.
In rallies in Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and elsewhere, furious Brazilians carried banners
with slogans like "Bolsonaro must go" or simply "500,000."
"His position on Covid and his denialism are absurd. He has abandoned reality and
common sense. There is no explaining this, it is surreal," Robert Almeida, a 50-year-old
marching in Rio, told AFP.

Protester Denise Azevedo told Reuters: "Herd immunity won't do any good. The only
immunity you can get is with the vaccine. There is no early treatment. I have lost
millions of friends, almost lost a cousin... people are orphans, fatherless, motherless,
and childless."
The president has said the impact of lockdowns on the economy would be worse than
the virus, and insists he has done all he can to buy vaccines from several countries.
But the opposition accuses him of delaying vaccine orders for political reasons, as he
has consistently played down the severity of the pandemic.
The outbreak in Brazil has been fuelled by more transmissible variants of the virus,
including the one first identified in the Amazon region and now known as Gamma. An
average of 70,000 cases has been confirmed daily in the last week.
"Brazil faces a critical scenario of community transmission... with the possibility of
worsening in the coming weeks due to the start of winter," Fiocruz said.
The rate of occupancy of intensive care unit beds remains at or above 80% in most
states, and experts warn the start of winter in the southern hemisphere, next week,
could result in more infections.
In a tweet, Lidiane Cunha said her dad had waited four days for intensive care before he
died in a crowded hospital unit in Brazil. "I keep thinking that had he received proper
care earlier, he would have been alive," she wrote.
On Twitter, Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga expressed solidarity with the "fathers,
mothers, friends and relatives" of those who had died, saying: "500,000 lives lost due to
the pandemic that affects our Brazil and the whole world."
Only the US has reported more deaths related to Covid-19.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-
57541794