RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct 8 (Reuters) – Brazil became the second country in the world to pass 600,000 COVID-19 deaths on Friday, a dark milestone for a government that has been sharply criticized for mismanaging the outbreak.
President Jair Bolsonaro has drawn the ire of health experts for his failure to implement measures to contain the pandemic. He has railed against lockdowns, aired skepticism about vaccines and regularly refuses to wear a mask in public.
But despite Friday’s tragic mark, there are now signs that infections in Brazil are finally ebbing, as the country ramps up vaccinations after a slow start. More than 70% of Brazilians have received a first dose, compared to 65% in the United States, which passed 600,000 deaths in June.
“The rejection rate of vaccines is really low, it makes other countries jealous,” said Alexandre Naime Barbosa, head of epidemiology at Sao Paulo State University. “That’s really important for Brazil to contain the pandemic.”
Brazil also appears to have been spared the worst of the Delta variant so far, with registered deaths and cases falling despite the arrival of the more contagious strain.
Deaths are down 80% from their peak of more than 3,000 per day in April, and Brazil no longer has one of the world’s highest daily death tolls.
The Health Ministry registered 615 new COVID-19 deaths on Friday, taking the total to 600,425 since the pandemic began.
Health experts speculate the early devastating effects in Brazil of the Gamma variant, also called P1, may have tempered the course of the Delta variant, which caused cases elsewhere to spike significantly.
“The enormous cost of lives we had with Gamma resulted in a portion of the population with partial immunity when Delta spread,” said virologist Fernando Spilki of Feevale University in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.
Receive the PVDN morning newsletter and exclusive content by becoming a PVDN Supporter, learn more here
Trending Stories Right Now on PVDN
- Hotel Marsol in Romantic Zone loses water after 17 years of non-payment The Potable Water, Drainage, and Sewerage System (Seapal) of Puerto Vallarta continues with its campaign to invite users who maintain a debt with the agency to get current on their bills, especially to those of the industrial and commercial sector. Following up on the third notification of collection management and notice of cancellation of water…
- Breathalyzer operations resume in Puerto Vallarta The Subdirectorate of Municipal Roads of Puerto Vallarta, headed by Jorge Alberto Castillo Núñez, began to carry out the breathalyzer operations in Puerto Vallarta with the intention of reducing accidents and deaths at the hands of intoxicated drivers in the city. Mayor Luis Alberto Michel Rodríguez ordered the operations to administer breathalyzer tests on Friday…
- Puerto Vallarta News Brief with Felipe Álvarez; October 19, 2021 Nightly breathalyzer tests have returned to Puerto Vallarta at random locations during the week, and every weekend at Francisco Villa Avenue and Los Tules Avenue, in Fluvial Vallarta.
- The sixth cruise ship in October arrives in Puerto Vallarta The arrival of cruise ships to Puerto Vallarta continues with the Emerald Princess, from Princess Cruise Lines, which arrived at dock number 1 of the Integral Port Administration (API). The Emerald Princess is the sixth cruise ship to dock in Puerto Vallarta this month, of the 14 expected in October, leaving a positive impact on…
- Sunwing will reactivate its routes to Puerto Vallarta with 288 flights from Canada Sunwing Airlines announced the reactivation of its routes from 10 Canadian cities to Puerto Vallarta for the winter season. This represents the return of more than 54,000 Canadian tourists to the Mexican beach, reported the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Promotion Trust. The routes will begin operating during the winter period, anticipating 288 flights from Edmonton, Ottawa,…
