Brazil reports first South African variant case amidst soaring deaths

The Government of Brazil has reportedly announced that the country has detected its first-ever confirmed case of the South African variant. The new case points towards a fresh new sign of danger for a nation that is already being ravaged by the pandemic and reporting the worst daily death toll in the world.

If it spreads, the highly contagious South African coronavirus variant is likely to wreak havoc across the country, which is already scrambling to make more space for burials. Meanwhile, on Wednesday scientists warned that yet another novel variant could most likely be emerging in the country’s inland city of Belo Horizonte.

In an official statement, the Federal University of Minas Gerais claimed that two samples that were collected in the city contained a set of previously unseen 18 mutations. This set included some mutations in the same genes that are modified by both the South African variant as well as Brazil’s already highly prevalent P.1. variant.

The discovery of the two additional variants further adds to existing concerns that the brutal coronavirus wave gripping Brazil may cause it to keep on breaking grim records in coming weeks. At the beginning of the week on Tuesday, the country’s Health Ministry reported 4,195 deaths, a single-day record, followed by 3,829 fatalities on Wednesday.

The nation’s biggest city, Sao Paulo, on Wednesday stated that it would start opening approximately 600 new graves on a daily basis, which is well beyond the previous burial record, which stood as 426 burials on a single a day on 30^th of March. Additionally, the city is also making plans for an expansive ‘vertical cemetery’, a crypt that will house over 26,000 drawer-like graves. The cemetery is expected to be built within 90 days once it is approved.

According to the prediction of some medical experts, the ongoing coronavirus wave that is hammering the country might cause it to surpass the United States to become the deadliest in the world.

Source credit: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-brazil-variant-idUSKBN2BU2KA