Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro attends a ceremony to announce a package of relief measures for the aviation industry, one of the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, at the Planalto Presidential Palace, in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 8:57 AM PT – Thursday, October 8, 2020
Brazil has surpassed a record 5 million confirmed coronavirus cases while the country attempts to grapple with one of the most deadly outbreaks of the virus in the world.
On Wednesday, Brazil’s Health Ministry reported more than 31,000 new cases. This brings the country’s total number of cases to 5 million.
Many are critical of officials rolling back social distancing and other health safety requirements. Some worry the number of confirmed cases is actually much higher due to a lack of testing nationwide.
“The spring is here and the temperatures are rising, that makes people crowd together at beaches, bars and restaurants,” explained Roberto Medronho, epidemiologist at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. “Many without using face masks, many without taking the necessary precautions and so, I fear we’ll have a second wave like in Europe.”
The pandemic has not progressed evenly in Brazil, due to the continental size of the country. Most of the nation is experiencing a stabilization in the number of Covid-19 deaths, with the 7-day rolling average of new daily deaths varying between -10 and +10% over the past 2 weeks
— The Brazilian Report (@BrazilianReport)
This all comes as Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro is placing a greater emphasis on reviving the country’s economy.
