At least 800 people have died of Covid-19 in Brazil since the first case was confirmed on February 26, according to the Health Ministry. This number is already higher than the total combined deaths caused by H1N1 flu (796), dengue fever (782) and measles (15) in 2019. While coronavirus figures are already high, infectious disease experts have informed The Brazilian Report that the official count is likely to represent the actual situation “one to two weeks ago” due to delays in diagnoses.
Despite the shocking Covid-19 numbers, dengue-related deaths are also worrying the ministry in 2020—nearly 150 people are said to have died of dengue fever and around 485,000 have been infected. The state of Paraná has registered 69 deaths in 2020 as of this morning.
Though dengue numbers are also on the rise in the country, health authorities say it is not as big of a threat. “Hospitalization is much simpler [for dengue fever than for the coronavirus]. Isolation is not required, and professionals do not need PPE,” infectious disease specialist Edimilson Migowski told newspaper O Globo.
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