São Paulo sets another record for deaths from Covid-19 despite restrictive measures

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The state of São Paulo, the most populous and developed in Brazil, registered 1,209 deaths due to coronavirus in the last 24 hours, the highest mark for one day so far in the pandemic and in the midst of strong social distancing measures.

The figure is from the Health Secretariat of São Paulo, a state with 42 million inhabitants, which now has 73,462 deaths due to Covid-19, a figure that exceeds those already recorded in some Latin American countries, such as Argentina and Colombia.

In Brazil as a whole, 313,866 deaths due to Covid-19 have been recorded so far, with 12.6 million infections, according to data from the Ministry of Health released on Monday, March 29, at a time when the country is experiencing an acceleration of the pandemic, attributed in part to the circulation of new and aggressive variants.

In São Paulo, where the first case in Brazil was recorded on February 26 last year and the most affected region in the country, the authorities have adopted various measures to contain the contagions, especially given Easter’s imminence.

Since last Friday, in the capital and many of the state’s cities, activities considered non-essential have been prohibited, and a night curfew is in force, measures not always respected by society as a whole.

The increase in the pandemic curve has also led to a collapse of the country’s hospital network, with a special incidence in São Paulo.

According to the Health Secretariat, at least 25 public hospitals in that state did not have even one intensive care bed available, a situation similar to that suffered by many of the country’s cities for at least two weeks.