Coronavirus

The backlog to process Covid-19 deaths in Brazil

An association of notary offices has released a new database that reveals the challenges involved in processing Covid-19 deaths in Brazil. Even if they are processing more death records with Covid-19 — on Wednesday alone, 162 death certificates were processed — a four-day backlog remains.

Don’t be fooled by the final meeting of the curves shown for April 10, which may look as if the count is flattening: we only know the date of deaths from the certificates that have already been processed, so the “true” death count for each day enters the database only about four days after families are mourning their loved ones.

One infectious disease specialist consulted by The Brazilian Report affirmed that the ministry’s official data “shows a snapshot of what the situation was like one or two weeks ago,” meaning that the current death toll is likely to be much higher.

Marcelo Soares

Marcelo Soares is a Brazilian journalist specializing in data journalism and reader engagement.

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