Rio de Janeiro: The number of people who died of Covid-19 in Brazil reached close to 100,000 on Saturday, five months after the first case of infection in the country. There is no hope of relief from this global epidemic. In a country with a population of 21 crore, more than 1,000 people are losing their lives every day due to this epidemic since May and a total of 99,572 people died by Friday night. The Health Ministry said that a total of 2,962,442 cases of coronavirus have been reported. Brazil is second only to the United States in cases of infection and death. Experts believe that like many other countries here too, due to lack of adequate investigation, the actual number of cases and correct figures of deaths have not been revealed. President Jair Bolsonaro, who has been hit by the Coronavirus himself, has been constantly skeptical about the impact of the disease and has been advocating the removal of restrictions on the economy. He was often seen in the crowd and many times without a mask.
Bolsonaro said on Thursday night, “I am sorry for all the deaths, it is reaching the figure of 100,000, but we will sort it out.” Eduardo Pazuelo, General of the Army in Brazil, is the interim health minister amid this epidemic. Two health ministers before him resigned due to differences with Bolsonaro over the use of hydroxychloroquine, a drug used to treat malaria, and social distance measures. Bolsonaro, who described Covid-19 as a “small flu”, said he recovered from the infection using this drug. Shops and restaurants reopened in most of Brazil’s 27 states. Shopping malls and restaurants in Rio have already opened and people have returned to the beaches.
