Brazil Records Daily COVID-19 Infection Cases When The Omicron Variant Spreads, The Peak Is Predicted In February

JAKARTA - Brazil recorded a new record of daily COVID-19 infection cases, reaching more than 137,000 cases, according to figures provided by the health ministry on Tuesday.

The South American nation of 213 million people is one of the worst-affected by the coronavirus pandemic in the world, with more than 620,000 deaths reported, ranking second only to the United States.

Cases have spiked in Brazil since the start of the year due to the arrival of the highly contagious Omicron variant and celebrations around Christmas and New Year's. The daily average of new cases at the end of 2021 was only about 8,000.

Prior to the latest record, Brazil recorded its highest daily number of COVID-19 infections in June 2021, with more than 115,000 cases reported in a 24-hour period.

"The peak will be reached in February, when the situation will stabilize again," epidemiologist Ethel Maciel of the Federal University of Espirito Santo told AFP, citing France24 January 18.

However, there are concerns that the increase in cases could have an impact on carnival celebrations in late February. However, street carnival celebrations in the major cities of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Salvador have been canceled due to concerns.

Both Rio and Sao Paulo are still hoping to maintain a colorful parade in the open-air "Sambadrome", as the stadium allows for stricter virus control protocols than the open road.

"Public health services are already under a lot of pressure and the next two weeks will be decisive to see what impact the infection from the New Year celebrations has on hospital admissions," Maciel said.

Moreover, he did not expect the wave of Omicron variants to prove as deadly as the previous variants.

To note, nearly 70 percent of Brazilians have been fully vaccinated, with vaccinations for children as young as 5 starting this week, despite objections from President Jair Bolsonaro.