Covid-19 out of control in (at least) 16 states

Experts from Imperial College London say that Covid-19 is yet to be controlled in Brazil, unlike what we have observed in European or Asian countries. In a study published on Friday, they analyzed infection behaviors in 16 of Brazil’s 27 states. In all of them, they estimate “with high confidence that the reproduction number remains above 1 — meaning that the epidemic is not yet controlled and will continue to grow.”

“While the Brazilian epidemic is still relatively nascent on a national scale, our results suggest that further action is needed to limit spread and prevent health system overload,” wrote the Imperial College London. Experts have called for lockdown measures in many states, but governors are still reluctant to follow through, with only some metropolitan areas being placed under stricter isolation rules.

Other diseases on the rise

The pandemic has had a knock-on effect on vaccination rates in Brazil, with many people refusing to attend health units for fear of contamination. The country has seen an 18-percent bump in measles cases over the past week — amounting to 2,805 in the year. Three years ago, the World Health Organization had declared the Americas free of the disease.

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