Covid-19: Rio de Janeiro registers first 24 hours with no deaths since pandemic began

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – For the first time since the start of the pandemic, the municipality of Rio de Janeiro reported no deaths due to Covid-19.

According to the Municipal Health Secretariat, no deaths from the disease were reported in the past 24 hours, unprecedented in the city since March 18, 2020.

On Sunday, November 21, the capital reached the mark of 12 million people vaccinated. In all, 76.6% of the city’s total population have been administered two doses or the single dose vaccine against the disease. Among adults over 18 years old, the rate stands at 95.2%. Some 600,000 people are eligible for the second dose and should seek health posts as soon as possible.

Another milestone achieved by the city was to bring to zero the number of patients admitted to municipal hospitals for Covid-19 treatment since Friday, November 19. On Sunday, 32 patients were hospitalized in state and federal network facilities. Rio had 1,400 hospitalized patients in May this year.

According to Health Secretary Daniel Soranz, the situation is now under control, but vigilance remains. “We need to remain vigilant, we need everyone who has not been vaccinated to do so, and we need to maintain the epidemiological scenario in the city. Today, for every 100 tests, only 3 are positive. And we are working to genotype these cases, collecting material as soon as the case is reported.”

On Friday, Soranz warned about the lack of sanitary rules for airports, increasing the chances of a new variant entering the country.

“Travelers are entering the country with no requirement to present a vaccine passport, for instance. Non-immunized people may be infected and with variants that are not circulating in the country, which is causing concern,” the Secretary said.