Record Deaths in São Paulo; ICU Beds in Metropolitan Region 80 Percent Occupied

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The state with the highest number of the Covid-19 cases in the country, São Paulo reported a record 24-hour death toll from the disease, with 224 deaths, a 12 percent increase over the figure released on Monday, April 27th.

As a result, São Paulo now accounts for 2,049 deaths. The data was released on Tuesday, April 28th, at a press conference in the Bandeirantes Palace. “As we do not have a backlog of tests, this means that these new cases refer to the past few days,” said the state secretary of health, Jose Henrique Germann.

Head of Covid-19’s Contingency Center in the state, infectologist Davi Uip said “the balance of deaths over the past 24 hours is the most significant so far. The state has 24,041 confirmed cases of the disease, with 2,300 new cases, an increase of 11 percent.

According to the report, 81 percent of ICU beds in Greater São Paulo are filled. In the entire state, this rate is 61.7 percent. According to Germann, 1,437 people are in intensive care units while there are 1,800 patients hospitalized in wards, in which case the occupation rate is 44 percent in the state and 70 percent in the metropolitan region.

When asked about the possibility of easing quarantine in São Paulo, which is valid until May 10th for the 645 municipalities in the state, both Germann and Uip stated that this easing is still under consideration.

“There is no chance of relaxing it before May 10th and this is good for the whole state,” Uip stressed. “We are quarantined until the 10th. What governs (flexibility) are the numbers and data we analyze daily,” Germann added.

Source: Estadão Conteúdo