Brazil records nearly 2,800 deaths from mystery respiratory problems

As of this Monday, 2,771 people had died of unexplained respiratory problems in Brazil so far this year, 196 more than the official Covid-19 death toll in the country. Experts believe a large number of these deaths were in fact caused by Covid-19 but were not confirmed due to a delay in diagnosis and false-negative tests.

Since January, the country has recorded 55,980 hospitalizations for respiratory problems, in comparison to 12,019 in the same period last year — a rise of 366 percent. Of this number, nearly 15 percent — at least 8,318 people — later tested positive for Covid-19.

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