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Brazil nears 400,000 COVID-19 deaths with surge to remain near peak for months

29 April 2021 22:23 (UTC +04:00)

Brazil on Thursday is set to become the second country to pass 400,000 COVID-19 deaths after the United States, and experts warned that the daily toll could remain high for several months due to slow vaccinations and loosening social restrictions, APA reports quoting Reuters.

A brutal surge of coronavirus infections this year has pushed hospitals around the country to the brink of their capacities and led to 100,000 deaths in just over a month.

Brazil's COVID-19 deaths have fallen slightly from a peak of more than 4,000 in a single day in early April, prompting many local governments to ease lockdowns.

But infectious disease experts warned that this easing will keep deaths elevated for months as vaccines alone cannot be counted on to contain the virus. Two experts said they expect deaths to continue to average above 2,000 per day.