Brazil has now surpassed 400,000 COVID-19 deaths, making it the second country in the world to reach this grim milestone after the United States. The country’s health ministry reported over 3,000 new fatalities in the last 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 401,186 since the start of the pandemic.

Brazil’s COVID-19 crisis has intensified in recent months, with the emergence of the P.1 variant, first detected in the city of Manaus. The variant, believed to be more contagious, has driven a surge in infections across the country, overwhelming hospitals and causing shortages of critical supplies like oxygen and sedatives.

The country’s daily death toll has remained consistently high, averaging over 2,500 deaths per day in April. Intensive care units in many cities are operating at or near full capacity, with patients reportedly waiting in line for critical care. In Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and other major cities, hospitals are struggling to cope with the flood of COVID-19 patients.

Despite the escalating crisis, vaccination efforts in Brazil have faced significant delays due to supply shortages. The country has administered around 40 million vaccine doses, with only about 13% of the population having received at least one dose. Brazil is primarily using the CoronaVac vaccine, developed by China’s Sinovac, and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been heavily criticized for his handling of the pandemic, particularly his opposition to lockdown measures and his stance against mask mandates. Bolsonaro has also been accused of downplaying the severity of the virus and delaying efforts to secure vaccines. Public health experts have warned that without stricter measures and a faster vaccine rollout, the death toll could continue to rise sharply.

In response to the growing crisis, the Brazilian government is working to secure more vaccines and ramp up the national vaccination campaign. However, logistical challenges and vaccine shortages remain significant obstacles.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed deep concern about the situation in Brazil, urging international solidarity and support for the country’s efforts to control the outbreak. “The numbers are staggering, and we need to do everything possible to slow the transmission and save lives,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

With Brazil’s COVID-19 death toll now exceeding 400,000, the country faces a critical juncture in its battle against the pandemic, as both the health system and its population continue to suffer under the strain of the ongoing crisis.