Brazil marks one year since the start of COVID-19

At the Cemetery of Penance on the outskirts of Rio on Thursday, COVID-19 victims continue to be buried on the first anniversary of the day the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus to be a worldwide pandemic. "March 22 will be one year since we had the first burial from COVID here," the head of the crematorium commented, as bereaved families of a COVID victim gathered outside the facility. The state of Rio has registered 33,893 deaths since the outbreak began, according to Johns Hopkins Hospital, and the numbers continue to rise, albeit at a slower rate in the state, as compared to the rest of Brazil. New restrictions on bars, restaurants, clubs and other public places in Rio de Janeiro, announced last week, have been extended, in a bid by city officials to dampen the numbers of new cases and avoid crashing the health care system. And while a mass immunization program has started, less than 2% of the Brazilian population has received a vaccine to date, and until more people are inoculated, the pandemic will continue to rage. On Wednesday, the Pan American Health Organization issued a dire warning about Brazil, saying, "cases are rising at alarming rates in Brazil." Death rates from COVID-19 are reaching similar levels to when the pandemic began a year ago, and vaccinations are not happening fast enough to affect the numbers. But some are optimistic the end may be near to what has been a trying year for the people of Rio. "This has been a horrible time, not only for me but also for my family, my grandchildren. We are afraid, but now there is light at the end of the tunnel!" 86- year-old Adaleia Carvalhlo exclaimed at the State University of Rio, where she received her second dose of COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday. At the Municipal Hospital Evandro Freire, one of the main medical facilities used to treat COVID patients in the city, some 58 new ICU beds have been added. It's an unwelcome reminder that the year-long health crisis continues to grip the country, and weary Rio residents hope the vaccines will provide the much needed relief they have spent a year waiting for.

Advertisement

Brazil marks one year since the start of COVID-19

At the Cemetery of Penance on the outskirts of Rio on Thursday, COVID-19 victims continue to be buried on the first anniversary of the day the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus to be a worldwide pandemic.

Advertisement