Brazilian Ministry of Health Estimates Coronavirus Cases Will Climb Until June

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The number of those infected with the coronavirus (Covid-19) in Brazil has climbed to 290, according to a report released by the Ministry of Health on Tuesday afternoon, March 17th. On Monday 16th, there were 234 confirmed cases.

The Health Minister, Luiz Henrique Mandetta, estimates that the numbers will increase exponentially until the end of June. “We are assuming to be working with upward spirals between April, May and June. We will experience 60 to 90 days of a great deal of stress and we will suffer an overload,” Mandetta says.

According to estimates, in July new cases are expected to decrease and in August and September the scenario is expected to return to lower levels. “As long as we build the so-called immunity on more than 50 percent of people,” he said.

Mandetta also urged families to take care of the elderly. “The fewer elderly we have with the coronavirus, the less pressure we’ll put on the ICU (Intensive Care Center) beds,” he said.

The number of suspected coronavirus cases quadrupled in one day, from 2,000 to 8,819; according to the ministry, the sudden increase was caused by a system update. Earlier, states were experiencing difficulties in reporting patients under investigation to the federal body.

Yesterday’s report did not include the first death caused by the disease, which was recorded in the state of São Paulo and confirmed by the Health Department. There are four other deaths in the same hospital that are currently being investigated.

The data from the Ministry of Health are updated by 1 PM and released around 4 PM, so this death had not yet been shown.

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