COVID-19: Brazil surpasses a thousand deaths in one day
Brazil reached a new record of people reported dead from COVID-19 in one day—1,179. Altogether, 17,971 people have lost their lives due to the disease, up seven percent from Monday’s (May 18) 16,792. The lethality rate (number of deaths divided by the amount of confirmed cases) stood art 6.6 percent, and the mortality rate (deaths by population) was 8.6 percent.
The daily report by the Health Ministry also registered a new record in the number of cases confirmed in 24 hours, 17,408. In all, 271,628 people were infected, up 6.8 percent from Monday, when the number of infected people had been 254,220.
Of the total of confirmed cases, 146,863 (54%) are being monitored and 106,794 (39.3%) have recovered. There are also 3,319 under investigation. The amount is up from the previous numbers for this indicator, which had been between 2,000 and 2,300 deaths being investigated.
São Paulo is still the epicenter of the pandemic in the country, with the highest number of deaths (5,147), followed by Rio de Janeiro (3,079), Ceará (1,856), Pernambuco (1,741), and Amazonas (1,491).
Furthermore, deaths were reported in Pará (1,519), Maranhão (604), Bahia (326), Espírito Santo (325), Alagoas (231), Paraíba (219), Minas Gerais (167), Rio Grande do Norte (160), Rio Grande do Sul (151), Amapá (136), Paraná (129), Santa Catarina (91), Piauí (85), Rondônia (87), Goiás (73), Acre (72), the Federal District, (72), Sergipe (63), Roraima (61), Tocantins (38), Mato Grosso (32) e Mato Grosso do Sul (16).
As for the number of confirmed cases, São Paulo ranks first (65,995). Next come Ceará (28,112), Rio de Janeiro (27,805), Amazonas (22,132), and Pernambuco (21,242). Among the states with the largest number of people infected are also Pará (16,295), Maranhão (14,198), Bahia (11,013), Espírito Santo (7,693), and Santa Catarina (5,413).
In absolute terms, according to the global map from Johns Hopkins University, more up-to-date than that of the World Health Organization (WHO), Brazil has overtaken the UK and now occupied the third position for the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19, behind Russia (299,941) and the US (1.52 million).
As for the death toll, Brazil ranks sixth, behind Spain (27,778), France (28,025), Italy (32,169), the UK (35,422), and the US (91,661).
For the two indicators, one must also consider the population of these countries, as Brazil is more populous than nations like the UK, Italy, and Spain. Up to Tuesday evening (19), 4,88 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 had been registered worldwide.
Psychological assistance
In an interview at the Planalto presidential palace, representatives from the Health Ministry said that remote psychological treatment started Tuesday (19) for health agents. The initiative is a collaboration with Porto Alegre’s Hospital das Clínicas and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS).
Health workers wishing to benefit from the service are advised to call 0800 644 6543. Consultations are conducted on a weekly basis with the same psychologist. If medication proves necessary, a psychiatrist is sent for a face-to-face meeting. Ten thousand professionals are estimated to be reached by the plan.
Breast milk donation
The Health Ministry launched a breast milk donation campaign, aimed at expanding its stock. From January to April, the number of women willing to contribute is reported to have sunk from 61 thousand to 58 thousand.
Breast milk is provide to hospitalized premature infants who cannot be fed. Furthermore, it feeds children and help decrease the number of diseases, like diabetes and obesity. Each 300 ml container may feed up to 10 newborns.
Faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Health Ministry imposed a few restrictions in guidelines. Donations must not be done by people running symptoms or living with someone exhibiting symptoms of the novel coronavirus.
