One in three patients hospitalized with acute respiratory syndrome dies in Brazil

According to data from the Health Ministry, since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, over 35 percent of the patients admitted to hospital in Brazil with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) have died.

Up until August 16, 295,950 people have been taken to hospital with ARDS symptoms, and 104,065 have died. Such severe respiratory distress can be a symptom of Covid-19, but it may also be caused by bacteria or the H1N1 influenza virus.

The data shows that in 72.6 percent of these deaths, the victim is a multiracial male, aged 60 or over, with prior health conditions.

Health experts in Brazil have witnessed a boom in ARDS cases during the Covid-19 pandemic, a trend noticed by biological research institute Fiocruz back in March.

Changing Covid-19 patterns in Brazil

On Wednesday, we reported that a study from Imperial College London showed Brazil’s effective reproduction rate (R number) of the coronavirus has fallen to below 1 for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. Such figures indicate that the spread of the virus is decelerating on a national level.

However, to properly assess trends in Brazil, one must consider its vast size and the potential variations between regions. According to Health Ministry data, the North and Northeast regions have seen drops of 8 and 11 percent in the number of new cases, respectively. Meanwhile, novel infections in the more populous Southeast have risen 7 percent. The remaining regions remained stable.

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