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Covid-19 Brazil

Brazil Covid-19 Cases Surge This Week, Breaking Its Single Day Record 

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Brazil has broken its record for new Covid-19 cases reported in a single day this Wednesday with 115,228 new cases. This increase is due to the nation’s continuous delays in vaccine distribution.

Brazil’s health ministry and data from Reuters revealed that the country now leads the world for the highest seven-day average of new Covid-19 cases and fatalities; they surpassed India last week, which is also struggling greatly due to a lack of vaccine distribution and access. 

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When it comes to the total number of infections, Brazil is currently in third behind the US and India with about 18 million cases, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. 

Brazil, however, has now surpassed India in terms of total death, with more than 570,000 fatalities as a result of Covid-19; India has experienced around 392,000 deaths. 

The US and other wealthier countries are seeing cases decline as more and more individuals receive their vaccinations. Other countries haven’t been so lucky in terms of receiving vaccines due to a lack of infrastructure and access. 

According to the Brazilian Health Ministry, 12% of the nation’s population is fully vaccinated. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has faced constant protests and criticism from citizens and other political leaders over his lack of action throughout the pandemic and slow distribution of vaccines. 

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According to news reports, “a Brazilian Senate committee is investigating allegations of misconduct in the government’s response, particularly arguments that Bolsonaro did not respond to offers from Pfizer for its vaccine last year, instead making a deal to receive the more expensive inoculation from India’s Bharat Biotech.”

Bolsonaro and former US president Donald Trump received very similar criticism throughout the pandemic in 2020 due to their downplaying of the virus’ severity, and pushing for drug treatments that showed no evidence of preventing Covid-19. 

Bolsonaro has been fined by several local government bodies for not enforcing local mask mandates which led to an exponential increase in cases within the past year. 

He said earlier this month while speaking in Sao Paulo that “those who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 should not have to wear a mask. Whoever is against this proposal is because they don’t believe in science, because if they are vaccinated, there is no way the virus can be transmitted.”

Doctor Giving Coronavirus Vaccine

US Covid-19 Update: Vaccine To Be Approved Soon As Daily Death Rates Soar

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The United States is likely to be celebrating a major milestone in the Covid-19 pandemic very soon, as the vaccine will likely be getting approved for emergency use very soon, and distribution can begin. The approval couldn’t come at a better time as the daily coronavirus death toll reached a record high of 3,124 this past Wednesday; surpassing the amount of American deaths that occurred on 9/11, and experts hear this is just the beginning of a massive final wave of infections. 

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released a composite forecast that projects the US hitting up to 362,000 Covid-19 deaths by January 2nd. Hospitalizations reached a record high this week as well with over 106,000 Covid-related cases. More than 221,000 infections were also reported in a single day, which according to former Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, is just the beginning. 

“We are in a totally unprecedented health crisis in this country. The disease is everywhere — Midwest, West Coast, East Coast, North, South. Health care workers are exhausted. Hospitals are totally full.”

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Vaccine advisers working for the US Food and Drug Administration are currently meeting to discuss the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine and will hopefully grant emergency use authorization by the end of the week so that Americans can start being vaccinated by the end of the month. 

According to Sebelius, Covid-19 vaccines are a “really significant light at the end of the tunnel, but in the coming months it’s crucial that Americans stay vigilant and follow safety guidelines, like wearing face masks, social distancing and hunkering down in their social bubbles. We’ve got to take what we’ve learned in the last eight months and really put it into practice, so we don’t continue to have this unthinkable death toll and disease too.”

“Let’s say we get 80% of the population vaccinated. I believe if we do it efficiently enough, by the time we get to the end of the summer we may actually have enough herd immunity protecting our society through the end of 2021.”

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One big challenge that the US could face, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, is getting everyone to take the vaccine. As of right now there’s an underlying level of trust that a majority of the American people have seen the destruction and devastation this virus, and lack of political action, has taken on the country within the past year, which will then prompt them to take the vaccine. 

Federal, state, and local leaders are all doubling down on enforcing health and safety measures in their communities and will continue to do so even as the vaccine begins distribution. Another major fear that experts are concerned with is citizens thinking that just because they themselves are vaccinated, or the fact that people are being vaccinated in general, is enough for life to automatically return to normal. 

The reality is, we will likely have to be wearing masks and social distancing well into the end of 2021 based on how long it will take for enough of a herd immunity to be built in the US for all of us to be living our lives in close proximity without fear again. Within the next few weeks, it’s projected that about 20 million Americans will receive the PFizer vaccine. These individuals will likely all be healthcare industry workers or elderly people who are especially vulnerable to contracting Covid-19. 

In the UK thousands of individuals have already received the initial dose of the Pfizer vaccination, and Canada just approved it as well for emergency use authorization. The FDA is “not cutting any corners,” according to Fauci, before giving Pfizer the seal of approval, so for now, continue to listen to your healthcare providers and abide by all health and safety measures.

Covid-19 on Swedish Flag

Sweden Quickly Moves To Enforce New Lockdown Measures As Covid-19 Cases Rise 

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If we think back to the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, Sweden was one of the countries that the rest of the world was looking at for guidance in terms of combatting this deadly virus. The country was one of the only in the world that never imposed a lockdown during the first wave of the pandemic, however, now Sweden is implementing stricter measures as a second wave of infections is taking a toll on its citizens and hospitals. 

On Monday, the Swedish government announced that public gatherings of more than eight people are not allowed. This is a major shift for a country that has previously been relying on voluntary measures and guidance throughout this pandemic. Prime Minister Stefan Lofven announced the new gathering limits this week; previously the limit stated that gatherings had to be 50 people or less. 

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“This is the new norm for the entire society. Don’t go to gyms, don’t go to libraries, don’t host dinners. Cancel it all.”

The ban will begin being enforced on November 24th and is set to last for at least four weeks. Previously, Sweden was viewed as a vision of aspiration for other European countries that began seeing major new spikes in cases starting this summer. Many European countries of smaller sizes were able to recover from the first wave of infections more easily due to the smaller population densities, however, as those restrictions began to loosen, cases began to rise everywhere again, and now Sweden is no different. 

Most schools, businesses, bars, restaurants, and cafes, however, will be remaining open, despite some major international criticism from neighboring European countries who claim that those businesses and establishments are what led to the rise in cases in the first place. Sweden’s state epidemiologist Anders Tegnall defended the new strategy by claiming it was striking a “balance between public safety and protecting the economy.” 

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However, as we’ve seen in America, when you put protecting the economy within the plan to prevent Covid-19 from spreading, you’re likely to keep a multitude of establishments open that will lead to an increase in foot traffic and new cases. Schools, bars, and restaurants have proven to be amazing breeding grounds for this virus, as they all promote close contact and cross contamination. 

Government data has shown that the number of daily new confirmed cases started to rise again in Sweden in early October, and thus hospitalizations began increasing two to three weeks later.  Daily deaths also hit double digits in early November, which is fairly shocking for the country. 

Sweden recorded almost 6,000 new daily Covid-19 cases last week alone, bringing its total number of confirmed infections up to 177,355 and counting; for context Sweden has around 10 million residents. The death rate per capita in Sweden is also several times higher than any of its neighbors, however, countries like Denmark, Finland, and Norway have roughly half the population of Sweden each.