President Bolsonaro Promises Vaccinations, Brazil Records Daily Deaths Of 3.251 People

COVID-19 vaccination for elderly people in Brazil. (Wikimedia Commons / Governo do Estado de São Paulo)

JAKARTA - Brazil recorded a record daily death toll from COVID-19 on Tuesday, March 23, in which 3.251 people died in Brazil due to COVID-19.

Ironically, this coincided with President Jair Bolsonaro delivering a speech in response to criticism of the handling of the pandemic in question, as well as promises to increase vaccinations.

This new record of deaths puts the handling of COVID-19 in Brazil even more questionable, due to poorly coordinated vaccination launches, a patchwork of restriction policies that cause more patients, and the burden on hospitals to become heavier, reported by Reuters.

President Jair Bolsonaro is under intense pressure to bring the outbreak under control in his country, having previously played down the virus repeatedly, doubting vaccines and fighting state and local lockdown measures.

In his short televised address, Bolsonaro said his government has never failed to adopt measures to fight the pandemic. He said that 2021 would be the year of vaccinations.

However, in cities across Brazil, violent protests echoed throughout the night as many voiced their anger over the handling of an outbreak that has killed nearly 300.000 people.

Last week, Bolsonaro appointed cardiologist Marcelo Queiroga as his fourth health minister since the pandemic began, in a closed ceremony. Inaugurated on March 15, Queiroga replaces Eduardo Pazuello, an active army general who has overseen most of the pandemic's response.

Many await Queiroga's strategy in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. Two of his predecessors before Pazuello resigned from the post of Minister of Health, after having disagreed with Bolsonaro on strategies to deal with COVID-19.

Separately, the federally funded Fiocruz Institute that produces the AstraZeneca vaccine in Brazil said on Tuesday that it would deliver 18.8 million COVID-19 vaccines in April. Down from the original estimate of about 30 million vaccines.

To date, only 2.6 percent of adults in Brazil have received two doses of the vaccine so far. Meanwhile, 12.1 million people, or 7.6 percent of the population have received one dose of the vaccine, according to the Fiocruz survey.

"The COVID-19 virus has surged dangerously across Brazil. All Brazilians must adopt precautionary measures to stop the spread", said World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for America Carissa Etienne.

The World Health Organization (WHO) regional director for America, Carissa Etienne, said on Tuesday that the virus was surging "dangerously" across Brazil, and urged all Brazilians to adopt precautionary measures to stop the spread.