Covid in Brazil: Brazil records 18,759 new cases in 24 hours in its latest data.
Brasilia:
Brazilian health authorities authorized the Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 on Wednesday, as South America’s most populous country faces a rapid increase in cases due to the holiday gatherings and the emergence of the Omicron variant.
The final green light from Brazil’s Ministry of Health came three weeks after the country’s independent drug regulator, Anvisa, declared Pfizer-BioNTech’s pediatric dose to be safe and effective.
Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga in Brasilia said: “For all those parents who want to vaccinate their children, the Ministry of Health will ensure the dose of the vaccine (Covid).
Controversy had flared up in Brazil until Wednesday’s announcement, with many accusing the government of unwarranted delays.
President Jair Bolsonaro, who did not vaccinate and says he will not vaccinate his 11-year-old daughter Laura, has demanded the release of the names of those responsible for Anvisa’s decision a few weeks ago, causing a flurry. threat wave.
The final permission comes amid rising infection rates in the country and the health ministry’s struggle to fix the hacked Covid website.
Brazil’s Health Ministry recorded 18,759 new cases in 24 hours in the latest data released on Tuesday, the highest level since October 5.
The seven-day average also rose to 9,876 new cases, up from 5,033 cases the previous Tuesday and 3,386 the week before.
The rate of rapid increase in new infections follows a trend seen in other countries where Omicron has taken hold.
“We will have the development of the Omicron variant here as in all other countries,” said Ethel Maciel, an epidemiologist from the Federal University of Espirito Santo.
“The Christmas and New Year holidays, and the Omicron variant contributed a lot,” she explains.
But she also notes that Brazil has a “data backlog due to problems with the tracking system,” meaning the website is currently being updated, which increases the number of cases.
The problem stems from a cyberattack last month that disabled a government website to track infections and deaths, and allowed hackers to steal personal data and remove medical cards. of citizens.
Authorities in Rio de Janeiro, wary of the growing impact of Omicron, on Tuesday announced the cancellation of next month’s street festivals.
After the United States, Brazil has the second-highest number of deaths from Covid with about 620,000 since the global pandemic began.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was automatically generated from the feed provided.)
