This week, Brazil’s daily death toll from Covid-19 rose to its highest level yet. Health officials are pointing to a new strain that originated in the Amazon area of Brazil that is suspected to be responsible for the recent rise in deaths and infections in younger people. This past week’s casualties have pushed the number of Covid-19 fatalities in the country over a quarter of a million. On Tuesday alone, Brazil reported 1,641 Covid-19 fatalities.
The new variant is referred to as P.1 and is 1.4 to 2.2 times more contagious than previous strains found in Brazil. According to a study released on Tuesday, the strain is 25% to 61% more capable of re-infecting people who had an earlier strain. According to health officials, mass vaccination is also a long way off. Countries such as Brazil risk becoming a breeding ground for new, more malicious strains of the virus, according to public health specialists.
Read More: Covid-19 Variant in Brazil Overwhelms Local Hospitals, Hits Younger Patients
