Young people worst hit as coronavirus batters Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO: More young people are dying from Covid-19 in Brazil than other countries, a trend driven partly by demographics the overall population is younger - but also by poverty and the need to work.

The South American giant of 210 million people suffered a record of 1,188 daily coronavirus deaths on Thursday and is fast approaching Russia to become the world’s No. 2 Covid-19 hot spot behind the US.

It passed 20,000 deaths on Thursday and has 310,087 confirmed cases, up over 18,500 in a single day. The true numbers are likely higher as Brazil has not carried out widespread testing.

A closer look at the data raises questions about the widely held idea that Covid-19 is mainly dangerous for the elderly. Of Brazil’s victims, 69% were aged 60 or older, compared with 95% in Spain and Italy, according to official statistics. The disparity is partly driven by the age of the overall population of the country. Just 13.6% of Brazil’s population is 60 or older, compared to 25% in Spain and 28% in Italy.

But demographics do not tell the whole story. “Since Brazil has a younger population, it’s normal for the number of cases to be higher among under-60s. But it’s also because young adults are observing stay-at-home measures less,” said Mauro Sanchez, an epidemiologist at the University of Brasilia. “Young (Brazilians) aren’t responding to the virus differently. It’s because they’re more exposed.”

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