Rio residents bury victim of coronavirus

On Wednesday Rodrigo Bessa and a small group of relatives attended the burial of his mother, Edenir Rezende Bessa, who was suspected to have died of Covid 19 in Rio de Janeiro.

Only six people paid their last respects in a short ceremony to honor Edenir Rezende Bessa, a 65-year-old housewife.

Bessa died very early on Tuesday morning in Ronaldo Gazolla Hospital, which is the only hospital in the city tending to cases or suspected cases of COVID-19.

Under the blazing Rio sun, gravediggers wearing protective clothes put the coffin in the grave.

Her grieving family was not allowed to look at her one last time due to the restrictions on burials of people suspected of being infected with COVID 19.

According to her relatives, Bessa, who suffered from diabetes and asthma, tried to get medical attention in three different Urgent Care Units in Rio de Janeiro.

Hours after being admitted to one hospital, she was transferred to Ronaldo Gazolla, where she died.

Rodrigo Bessa, one of her two children who works as a nurse, traveled from Espirito Santo state to attend the burial.

He said what he saw in the hospital when he went to get his mother's was terrible.

Bessa saw some 35 bodies "in line" waiting to be taken by their relatives.

"I think the numbers that are given (the government numbers reporting the deaths of confirmed cases of Covid 19) are distorted because there are a lot of people dying because of that (COVID-19) and what we heard is that they don't have the conditions to test, they don't have the test," he said.

Rio de Janeiro's state registered more than 460 deaths with at least 5,300 active cases confirmed.

"People need to believe that this is serious, it kills," Rodrigo Bessa said.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and could lead to death.