RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – In one day, Brazil confirmed 42 more Covid-19 deaths, according to data from the Ministry of Health released on Tuesday, March 31st. The number of deaths increased from 159 to 201, the majority being people over 60.
The country has also reached the highest number of confirmed infections for a 24-hour period: 1,138. There are now 5,717 people infected with the coronavirus.
According to the government, this rise is partially explained by the increase in the number of tests being carried out. The Ministry of Health announced the purchase of five million rapid tests, 500,000 of which arrived on Monday.
The Minister of Health, Luiz Henrique Mandetta, said that the rapid tests that have arrived are used to determine who already has the antibody to the coronavirus. As a result, it is recommended for people who have had symptoms for at least seven days.
“When we reach 60 to 70 percent of the population with antibodies, I will feel much more reassured because I will no longer have an epidemic. I may have cases, but I will not have an epidemic,” he said in an interview on Monday.
“We are extending testing. We already have 90,000 more tests ready to be distributed to the states,” said Wanderson Oliveira, Health Surveillance Secretary at the Ministry of Health.
Mortality
According to the balance, the mortality rate of the novel coronavirus in Brazil is 3.5 percent and this number has been increasing over the last few days. According to the Minister of Health, Luiz Henrique Mandetta, the trend is for this figure to drop.
“The mortality rate is determined taking into account the number of infected people and deaths. Death is much easier to confirm. The existing [infection] cases are impossible to test. As soon as we perform more tests, the mortality rate will drop,” he said on Monday.
The Southeast is the Brazilian region with the highest number of confirmed cases: 3,406. Then come the Northeast (875), South (672), Midwest (470) and the North (294).
Brazilian influenza vaccination program
At a press conference on Monday, attended by several Ministries, the Minister of Infrastructure, Tarcísio Freitas, said that as soon as the first stage of vaccination against influenza is over, transport professionals will be included. [The influenza vaccination does not work against coronavirus.]
The first stage runs until April 15th and is reserved for the elderly and health professionals. As of April 16th, the chronically ill, teachers (public and private schools) and security and rescue workers, as well as truck drivers, will be vaccinated.
Beginning May 9th, children from 6 months to under 6 years old, people aged 55 to 59, pregnant women, people with disabilities, indigenous peoples and prison staff will be included.