The Covid-19 pandemic is not over and the numbers show that. In Brazil, more than 60% of diagnosed respiratory diseases correspond to COVID-19, which forced the use of face masks on airplanes to become mandatory again on November 25. In China, confinements are increasing and a few days ago the highest number of infections was recorded since the appearance of the virus. And little by little, diagnosed cases are increasing in Argentina, although the number of infected people could be higher.
The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, linked to Brazil’s Ministry of Health, reported on November 23 that serious cases of Covid-19 are increasing in 15 of Brazil’s 27 states.
Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo (the three most populated in Brazil) are among the regions with the greatest increase in serious cases, according to the report. The other most affected regions are Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Paraíba, Piauí and Rio Grande do Norte, in the northeast; Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul and the federal district of Brasilia, in the center-west; Pará and Roraima, in the north, and Santa Catarina, in the south.
Covid-19 accounts for 61% of the respiratory diseases detected in the last week, according to the Foundation, which adds that the majority of those affected are over 60 years old.
The increase in Covid-19 cases in recent weeks led the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) to order the mandatory use of face masks in airports and airplanes as of November 25. Thus, the measure that had been without effect since August was re-implicated.
In China, confinements were extended since November 24 due to the increase in cases. The Beijing-based National Health Commission said that from Nov. 23 to 24, the number of new coronavirus cases in the country increased by 31,444, the highest daily figure since the coronavirus was first detected in the country. Wuhan city, central China, in late 2019.
In Argentina, cases of people diagnosed by testing increased by 57% during the last two weeks, according to open data from the National Ministry of Health. The increases occur in 13 of the 24 jurisdictions: Province of Buenos Aires, City of Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Chaco, Chubut, Corrientes, Formosa, Mendoza, Río Negro, Salta, Santa Fe, Tierra del Fuego and Tucumán. But the number could even be higher, since swabs are not usually indicated for the entire population.
