Brazil reaches 250,000 coronavirus deaths as pandemic worsens

Brazil reached a staggering milestone on Wednesday, surpassing 250,000 confirmed coronavirus-related deaths in a pandemic that has lasted for a year — almost to the day. The country’s death toll trails only that of the U.S., but experts agree Brazil’s real tallies are much higher. Reduced testing and a lack of contact tracing have prevented the country from accurately assessing the scope of the sanitary catastrophe.

Worse than the number of known deaths is that Brazil still cannot see a way out of the crisis. 

New variants have spread at an unprecedented pace around the country, forcing states to reinstate tight restrictions such as curfews and the shutdown of non-essential businesses. At least 13 out of 27 states have reported intensive care unit occupancy rates above the 80-percent mark, which is considered “critical.” The 7-day rolling average of new daily deaths has remained above the 1,000 mark for 34 days. In some states, Covid-19 deaths this year already outnumber those from the entirety...