Coronavirus

Brazil’s Health Ministry fears spike in Covid hospitalizations

Covid patients arrive at a hospital near Rio de Janeiro. Photo: Shutterstock.
Covid patients arrive at a hospital near Rio de Janeiro. Photo: Shutterstock.

Health officials in Brazil warn of the likelihood of a spike in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations in September. However, with almost two-thirds of the population having received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, the Health Ministry doesn’t believe they will see a pronounced surge of deaths.

The government is concerned due to the increase in cases of the highly contagious Delta variant and the decrease in Covid-19 protection of vaccinated seniors.

To combat the rise in cases and hospitalizations, the government announced the application of third vaccine doses for senior citizens and immunosuppressed people as of September 15. 

In addition, the government will also reduce the interval between doses of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines, hoping to fully immunize a larger share of the population.