Brazil Records 407 Coronavirus Deaths in its Worst 24 Hours (April 23rd)

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Data released by the Ministry of Health on Thursday, April 23rd, show that Brazil has 3,313 confirmed coronavirus deaths (causing Covid-19). In one day, there were 407 new deaths, the sharpest increase since the start of the pandemic.

In total, the country records 49,492 cases of the virus. In 24 hours the report confirmed another 3,735 infections, an increase of 8.2 percent. The government also announced that 26,573 people have recovered from the disease.

Health Minister Nelson Teich said that it is still unclear whether this sharpest rise since the pandemic began is due to an effort by the states to clear the backlog of pending tests or an increase in the spread of the virus in the country.

“In practice, we must do a daily follow-up. If it is a rising trend line, the numbers in the coming days will increase even further,” he said on Thursday.

He said again that social isolation should be implemented according to the criteria of each location. He also said he does not necessarily advocate quarantine.

“We advocate what is best for society. If what is best for society is isolation and it must be isolation, then it will be. If I can make things more flexible, by giving people autonomy and a better life, and if that doesn’t influence the illness, that’s what I’m going to do”.

States with more than a thousand cases

São Paulo accounts for the majority of infections, with 16,740 and 1,345 deaths. Another 11 states have exceeded the 1,000 confirmed cases: Rio de Janeiro (6,172), Ceará (4,598), Pernambuco (3,519), Amazonas (2,888), Bahia (1,789), Maranhão (1,757), Espírito Santo (1,363), Minas Gerais (1,308), Pará (1,276), Santa Catarina (1,115) and Paraná (1,082).

Source: Exame