According to the Ministry of Health, Brazil broke its previous daily record with 4,195 Covid-19 deaths – according to Johns Hopkins University, the highest death rate in the world for that 24-hour period. The new figures put Brazil’s total death toll at nearly 337,000.
In addition, nearly 87,000 new Covid-19 cases have been reported across the country, increasing the total number of infections to 13,100,580, according to the Ministry of Health.
Bolsonaro, who went on to downplay the seriousness of his country’s health crisis, dismissed allegations that he was to blame for the increasing death toll in the country. The president has repeatedly opposed repeated calls and restrictive measures, criticizing insulting governors and mayors for their implementation.
“They called me homophobic, racist, fascist, martyr and now … what is it now? Now I’m … someone who kills a lot of people? Genocide. Now, I’m genocide,” he told supporters. Tuesday night outside the presidential palace in Brasilia, according to the video posted on YouTube.
Several of Bolsonaro’s political opponents accused him of ‘genocide’, and used the term loosely to characterize the consequences of his Covid-19 reaction.
“Why am I not blamed here in Brazil?” Asked Bolsonaro rhetorically in the video.
The Brazilian leader apparently indicated that the pandemic was an invention of the media that could be solved by giving organizations subsidies from the government.
“I can solve the problem with the virus in a few minutes. I just have to pay what governments have paid Globo in the past, to Folha [de São Paulo]”O Estado de São Paulo,” he said, referring to a nationwide broadcaster and two São Paulo-based newspapers. “Well, that money is not for the press, but for other things.”
And he was defiant in his stance on restrictions, saying he did not agree with the proponents of social distance measures, arguing – wrongly – that the states that imposed stricter restrictions experienced higher death rates.
“What is the state that has locked up the most? São Paulo. Which one has the highest death toll, proportionally? São Paulo,” he falsely claimed.
Although São Paulo has the highest number of deaths, it ranks tenth in deaths per capita.
About a third of the deaths reported Tuesday were in São Paulo, where 1,389 people died within 24 hours.
This is despite the fact that the state introduced more restrictive measures a month ago, including the closure of businesses that deal directly with the public, such as shops, restaurants and pubs.
Bolsonaro also said the closure would be counterproductive as people would be more susceptible to the virus.
“I have seen recent research that those with a healthy lifestyle are eight times less likely to have problems with Covid,” he said. “You lock people in at home … what does he do at home? I doubt they have not increased their weight slightly from last year to this year.”
“Even I made my belly grow a little,” he joked.
The daily record count comes because hospitals and intensive care units (ICUs) in some cities are turning away patients and because the entire health system of the country is on the verge of collapse. Brazil is struggling with several new variants, of which scientists are believed to be more contagious. Younger people seem to be getting more seriously ill than in the early stages of the pandemic, although it is unclear what role variants may play in the trend.
At the end of Tuesday, 23 of the 27 federations in Brazil reported an ICU occupancy rate of 80% or more. Of these, 15 have either collapsed or are on the verge of collapse, with ICU occupancy exceeding 90%. Mato Grosso do Sul is already over capacity, while only four states have below 80% occupancy.
Brazil’s introduction of vaccines has also been plagued by delays.
During a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, Bolsonaro showed interest in acquiring Russian Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine. Bolsonaro added that the shot would first require approval in the country.
‘We are finalizing communication with others [health] authorities, including Anvisa, on how we can effectively import this vaccine, ‘Bolsonaro said, referring to the Brazilian health regulatory agency.
Global Covid-19 cases rose for the sixth consecutive week, according to the World Health Organization’s weekly epidemiological update on Tuesday. Brazil, the US, Turkey, France and India report the highest numbers.