Daily Brazil death toll surpasses 4,000 as pandemic spirals out of control

Brazil’s daily death toll from the novel coronavirus broke the 4,000 person mark on the day before the anniversary of the start of the pandemic in February 2020.

At least 4,195 people were reported to have lost their lives on 6 April, taking Brazil’s total death toll to nearly 337,000.

Brazil also reported 86,979 new infections for the same day.

Experts called it a “biological Fukushima” and predicted that a total of 100,000 Brazilians could lose their lives in April alone if measures to prevent contagion were not taken.

Despite the growing crisis, the country's leader, Jair Bolsonaro, continued to resist pressure to impose lockdowns, downplaying the effects of the pandemic in order to protect the country's economy.

Miguel Lago, the executive director of Brazil’s Institute for Health Policy Studies, said reopening society without restrictions was a mistake that he feared would bring even higher death numbers, though he thought it unlikely that it would be reversed.

“The fact is the anti-lockdown narrative of President Jair Bolsonaro has won,” Lago said. “Mayors and governors are politically prohibited from beefing up social distancing policies because they know supporters of the president, including business leaders, will sabotage it.”

The Brazilian health system is collapsing with 90% of beds in hospitals being assigned for Covid-19 patients. Hundreds of people were dying as they waited for basic supplies which were already running out in several states, reported The Guardian on Wednesday.

Less than 3% of Brazilians had been fully inoculated against the virus.