In Brazil, virus hitting youngsters the hardest
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 number 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 driven by the age of overall populace: 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.
WITH MORE THAN 310,000 CASES, IT LAGS BEHIND ONLY US AND RUSSIA. BRAZIL’S DEATH TOLL SURGED PAST 20,000 ON THURSDAY
But it’s also because young adults are observing stay-athome 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,” he told AFP.
“What’s perverse is that a lot of the people who are exposing themselves to the virus are doing it because they don’t have a choice.” The phenomenon has become more pronounced as the pandemic progresses here.
VIRUS DETECTED IN HAITI’S LARGEST JAIL
Nearly a dozen detainees in Haiti’s largest prison have tested positive, an administrator told AFP, as fears mounted that the disease could spread like wildfire through the country’s dirty and overcrowded correctional system. Last week, some 50 prisoners in Port-au-prince penitentiary reported having a fever, prompting health officials to test 12 inmates as a sample. Results indicated that 11 were positive for Covid-19.