How Brazil went from carnival floats to mass graves. Photos that show the world's latest coronavirus hotspot.
Ricardo Moraes/Reuters
- With more than 13,000 deaths and over 190,000 confirmed cases, Brazil is emerging as the world's new coronavirus hotspot.
- While the first infections were spotted in the richer neighborhoods of large cities, the virus has since been spreading rampantly in the country's favelas.
- But as hospitals and morgues in the country are becoming overwhelmed, its president, Jair Bolsonaro, continues to downplay the threat of the virus, dismissing it as a "little flu."
- While anti-lockdown protests have emerged, others have been very critical of the Brazilian president's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, staging protests and voicing outrage on social media.
- Despite the growing coronavirus cases, Brazil is currently not under a nation-wide lockdown. But some individual state governors have gone against Bolsonaro's orders and imposed their own measures.
- Scroll down to see photos of what it's like in the country, which is expected to become one of the worst-hit coronavirus places in the world.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
With the sixth-worst death toll in the world, Brazil has emerged as the new coronavirus hotspot.
Brazil's hospitals, morgues, and cemeteries has been grappling with a rising number of coronavirus cases, which were first brought into the country by people traveling back from Europe and the US in February.
But despite growing concern that the country will record thousands of more deaths from the virus, its president — Jair Bolosnaro — never imposed a nation-wide lockdown.
Bolsonaro continues to downplay the threat of the virus, attending anti-lockdown protests and starting feuds with state governors, who have gone against his orders by individually issuing partial lockdowns.
Photos show what it's like in Brazil as its rapidly becoming one of the worst-hit countries from the coronavirus in the world.
While some countries are starting to lift lockdown measures after seeing a drop in coronavirus cases, Brazil is quickly emerging as the world’s new hotspot.
Bruno Kelly/Reuters
The World Health Organization (WHO) said last week that the Americas are currently at the center of the pandemic, according to the BBC.
Source: BBC
The South American country recorded its deadliest day from the virus on May 12 and now has more than 190,000 cases — a number which is likely to be a lot higher.
Ricardo Moraes/Reuters
Experts say that the actual number of cases is probably 15 times higher than what has been reported due to the lack of testing in the country, according to the BBC.
Domingo Alves from the University of Säo Paulo Medical School told the broadcaster: "Brazil is only testing people who end up in the hospital. It's hard to know what's really happening based on the available data."
"We don't have a real policy to manage the outbreak," he added.
Source: Wordometer, BBC
Brazil officially recorded its first coronavirus-related death on March 16, but experts believe that someone died from the virus as early as January 15.
Amanda Perobelli/Reuters
Scientists at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Rio de Janeiro said that based on molecular tests of patients taken to hospital with respiratory problems, one man who died mid-January had COVID-19, the BBC reported.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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