Brazil records 224,000 new cases of Covid-19 and hits record again in the pandemic

Biggest mark had been registered last Wednesday, 19, with 204 thousand infections; increase in the number of deaths and ICU overcrowding also cause concern

Brazil broke the record for new cases of the Covid -19 pandemic once again this Wednesday, 26: 224,567 infections were recorded in 24 hours, according to the National Council of Health Secretaries (Conass) . The number exceeds the previous mark of 204,000, which took place last Wednesday, 19. The moving average of new cases in the last seven days was 159,877, also the highest mark since the coronavirus arrived in Brazil. Deaths showed another worrying increase in the last 24 hours and reached 570, following an upward trajectory. The moving average of new deaths in the last seven days is 365. In total, Brazil has had 24,535,884 cases of Covid-19 detected since the beginning of the pandemic and 624,413 deaths.

The situation reflects the advanced spread of the Ômicron variant , the most transmissible strain that arrived in the country in December and has the ability to circumvent previous immunity, whether from vaccines or previous infections. Another worrying fact comes from hospitals: the occupation of ICU beds by Covid-19 in the Unified Health System (SUS) has risen again in Brazil. According to a technical note released by Fiocruz, six states registered a critical alert, with more than 80% occupancy: Pernambuco, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte and Mato Grosso do Sul. The Federal District has 98% of beds occupied. Another 12 regions had an increase in indicators and entered the intermediate alert zone, with 60% to 80% more occupancy – including Rio de Janeiro (62%) and São Paulo (66%). Fiocruz researchers claim that the situation is getting worse, although the advance of vaccination helps to draw a different picture from that of other more critical moments of the pandemi