In a press conference on Tuesday (11), the Minister of Health, Marcelo Queiroga, admitted that most confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Brazil in recent days are infections caused by the Ômicron variant of the coronavirus.
“The Omicron variant has arrived. Unfortunately, it is already prevalent here in Brazil”, declared Queiroga.
However, in an exclusive interview with CNN, the minister said that the vaccination coverage of the Brazilian population means that the large number of cases does not cause an increase in hospitalizations and deaths.
“The virus is unpredictable. Naturally, we are seeing this increase in cases. It is still necessary to wait a little longer to verify the impact that this variant will have on our hospital system and even on deaths so that we have a more definitive prognosis”, Queiroga commented.
The minister argues that complete vaccination coverage is the only way to beat the pandemic. To try to map the Ômicron variant and its effects, the Ministry of Health promised to distribute 28 million rapid tests by the end of the month. But in the face of an increase in the number of cases, states and municipalities are already planning restriction measures. The government of São Paulo, for example, will announce this Wednesday (12) changes to events and agglomerations.
Queiroga met this Tuesday with the Minister of Economy, Paulo Guedes, to discuss measures to face the pandemic.
Reference: CNN Brasil
