Brazil struggles as COVID hospitalisations increase

Brazil is showing increasing signs that a second wave of coronavirus is sweeping country, with biggest cities and areas around Amazon being worst affected.

In Santo André, a city in São Paulo metropolitan area, Dell'Antonia field hospital h seen an increase of up to 69% in recent weeks.

Dr.  Jimmy Teixeira has been working in field hospital since it started in April.

He said it is difficult to affirm wher it is a second wave, like in some countries in Europe, or if first one hasn't even finished, but what he can affirm is that he has seen people on streets t taking necessary precautions, and it reflects directly in hospital occupancy.

"re was a decrease, a big fall. Today we see again a rise in hospitalizations, because of flexibilization of people in general, relaxing on care and mask us."

In Rio de Janeiro, Rosilene dos Santos buried her far, a victim of COVID-19.

"I thought I'd spend New Years Eve with my whole family, but virus took that from me, it's real, virus is here and it's t a joke. People have to understand that it's t a joke, it's really dely."

On Wednesday Brazil's Health Ministry confirmed 654 new deaths in last 24 hours, and more than 170 thousand deaths since beginning of pandemic.

(Im Credit: AP)