Brazil has recorded its first confirmed case of the highly contagious coronavirus variant discovered in South Africa, a fresh danger sign for a country already ravaged by the world's worst daily death toll and scrambling to make space for burials.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Scientists warned on Wednesday that yet another new variant could be emerging in Brazil's inland city of Belo Horizonte.
The Federal University of Minas Gerais said two samples taken in the city included a previously unseen set of 18 mutations, including some in the same genes modified by the South African variant and Brazil's already prevalent variant, known as P1.
The detection of additional variants adds to concerns that a brutal COVID-19 wave battering Brazil may keep breaking grim records for weeks to come. On Tuesday, the health ministry reported a single-day record of 4195 deaths, followed by another 3829 fatalities on Wednesday.
Sao Paulo on Wednesday said it would begin opening about 600 new graves per day, well beyond the record of 426 burials in a day on March 30. The city is also preparing plans for a "vertical cemetery", a crypt with 26,000 drawer-like graves that can be built in 90 days.
Brazil's outbreak may overtake the United States to become the world's deadliest, some medical experts predict.
The woman in Sao Paulo state now confirmed as infected by the South African virus variant was first identified by the Butantan biomedical institute as a possible case of a new local variant.
Scientists fear a showdown between the South African variant and Brazil's P1 variant, both of which are more contagious and possibly more deadly than the original version of the coronavirus.
The South African variant in studies appears to lessen protection from current vaccines.
Jose Patane, a Butantan researcher, said the variant most likely arrived in Brazil after travelling through Europe towards the end of 2020.
The first local diagnosis, a woman in her 30s in the city of Sorocaba, indicated local community transmission.
Immunisations have been slow to ramp up in Brazil after the government dragged its feet in acquiring vaccines while other countries raced to secure supplies.
President Jair Bolsonaro has shifted his tone on vaccines, touting shots he had until recently disdained. But the far-right leader still opposes social distancing and mask requirements that health experts see as essential for curbing virus transmission.
Australian Associated Press
