Brazil’s Health Minister Marcelo Keiroga signed a decree on Friday ending a public health emergency to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus pandemic in February 2020.
The decree will enter into force 30 days after its publication in the Official Gazette of the Government.
In a statement, the Brazilian Ministry of Health assured that it took into account the increased response capabilities of the national health system, the improvement of the epidemiological situation and the wide vaccination coverage of the population.
“Brazil records an 80% drop in the average of cases (s.s. of SARS-CoV-2) and deaths (due to COVID-19) compared to the peak (of the wave) of the Omicron variant earlier this year “, Is explained in the press release.
Nearly 74% of the population of 212 million have been fully immunized, and more than 74 million people have received booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine, the ministry added.
He insisted on the importance of continuing the immunization campaign despite the end of the health emergency.
The decree was signed following a demand a few weeks ago to his minister to declare “the end of the pandemic” by far-right President Zaih Bolsonarou, who from the beginning downplayed the severity of the pandemic, so that the country could return to full normalcy.
Mr Bolsonaro’s government, which will run for re-election later this year, has been widely criticized for its handling of the health crisis.
Brazil counts some 662,500 deaths from COVID-19 out of a total of 30.3 million SARS-CoV-2 infections. This is the second heaviest pandemic death toll on the planet, behind only the US (some 1 million dead).
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