Brazil detects the first case of a South African variant, with a serious shortage as the number of deaths increases

SAO PAULO (Reuters): Brazil has registered its first confirmed case of the highly contagious coronavirus variant discovered in South Africa, a new danger sign for a country already devastated by the worst daily death toll in the world. world and which was premiered to make room for burials.

Scientists warned on Wednesday that a new variant could still appear in the city of Belo Horizonte, in the interior of Brazil.

The Federal University of Minas Gerais said in a statement that two samples taken in the city included an invisible set of 18 mutations, including some of the same genes modified by the South African variant and the already prevalent variant of Brazil, known as P .1.

The detection of additional variants adds to the concern that a brutal wave of COVID-19 suffering Brazil may continue to break records in the coming weeks. On Tuesday, the Ministry of Health reported a one-day record of 4,195 deaths, followed by 3,829 deaths other Wednesdays.

Sao Paulo, the country’s largest city, said Wednesday it would begin opening about 600 new graves a day, well beyond the record of 426 burials in one day on March 30th. The city is also preparing plans for a “vertical cemetery,” a crypt with 26,000 drawer-like graves that can be built in 90 days once approved.

Some medical experts predict that the outbreak in the largest country in South America may overtake the United States to become the deadliest in the world.

The woman from the state of Sao Paulo now confirmed as infected by the South African virus variant was first identified by the Butantan biomedical institute as a possible case of a new local variant. Subsequent analysis confirmed it as the first known local case of the widely circulating variant in South Africa and elsewhere.

Scientists fear a confrontation between the South African variant and the Brazilian variant P.1, both more contagious and possibly more deadly than the original version of the coronavirus, which worsens COVID-19 rises.

“It could be a huge duel,” said Maria Carolina Sabbaga, one of Butantan’s coordinators to study new variants. “I think P.1 has already taken over. I’m not sure if the South African will overcome the P.1, let’s see “.

The South African variant of the studies appears to decrease protection against current vaccines.

José Patané, a Butantan researcher, said the variant probably arrived in Brazil after traveling through Europe in late 2020.

The first local diagnosis, a woman in her 30s in the city of Sorocaba, had not traveled abroad or come in contact with someone who did, indicating transmission from the local community, the researchers.

SLOW VACCINE ROLL

A possible increase in the South African variant could further complicate the slow deployment of vaccines in Brazil.

Brazil’s COVID-19 vaccination program is based on vaccines from AstraZeneca Plc and China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd, which have been shown to be effective against the Brazilian variant in preliminary studies, according to officials.

Research published on Wednesday showed that the Sinovac trait was 50% effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in a study of nearly 68,000 health workers in Manaus, where the P.1 strain first emerged as the variant predominant. The results support the preliminary findings of separate investigations reported by Reuters last month.

Vaccinations have taken a long time to accelerate in Brazil after last year the government dragged its feet to acquire vaccines, while other countries rushed to get supplies.

President Jair Bolsonaro has changed his tone on vaccines, announcing traits he had until recently scorned. But the former far-right captain of the army still opposes social distancing and masks the requirements that health experts consider essential to curb the transmission of the virus.

Under pressure from business leaders desperate to vaccinate their staff and reopen operations, the lower house of Congress passed a controversial bill to allow the purchase of vaccines from the private sector. After the lower house concluded voting on the amendments Wednesday, the bill will now go to the Senate for consideration.

The proposal would allow companies to purchase vaccines to inoculate their employees as long as they give the same number of shots to the public health system. Under current rules, companies could only do so once the country has fully vaccinated the risk groups described in a national vaccination plan.