Brazil is the country struck hardest by Covid-19. Comboni Father Saverio Paolillo writes about how the pandemic is affecting the community he serves.
“The Covid-19 pandemic is ravaging Brazil. It has become the country with the second largest number of victims after the United States, with over 65,000 deaths and 1.6 million confirmed cases. The figures are probably underestimates. Brazil is one of the countries where fewer tests are being done in proportion to the number of its inhabitants. Reliable studies say the number of positive cases is probably from seven to twelve times that of the official figure, and the virus has not yet reached its peak in Brazil.
“The most affected area is the southeast and especially São Paolo and Rio de Janeiro. The health service, already stretched due to the lack of investment in recent years, is on the brink of collapse. Despite the construction of field hospitals, there is no longer room in the ICUs and there is a shortage of respirators. Many patients are piled up in the corridors and die waiting in line.”
