Brazil detects first case of South African variant, severe shortage occurs as death toll rises

SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazil records its first confirmed case of the highly contagious coronavirus variant discovered in South Africa, a new danger sign for a country already devastated by the world’s worst daily deaths and struggling to make room for funerals.

Scientists warned on Wednesday that another new variant could appear in the city of Belo Horizonte in the interior of Brazil.

The Federal University of Minas Gerais said in a statement that two samples taken in the city included a previously unseen set of 18 mutations, including some of the same genes modified by the South African variant and the already prevalent variant of Brazil, known as P. 1.

The detection of additional variants adds to concerns that a brutal COVID-19 wave hitting Brazil may continue to break grim records in the coming weeks. On Tuesday, the Ministry of Health reported a one-day record of 4,195 deaths, followed by another 3,829 deaths on Wednesday.

Sao Paulo, the country’s largest city, said on Wednesday it would begin opening about 600 new graves a day, well above the record of 426 funerals a day on March 30th. The city is also preparing plans for a “vertical cemetery”, a crypt with 26,000 drawer-type graves that can be built in 90 days after approval.

An outbreak in the largest country in South America could overtake the United States to become the deadliest in the world, some medical experts predict.

The woman from the state of Sao Paulo, now confirmed to be infected with the South African virus variant, was first identified by the Butantan biomedical institute as a possible case of a new local variant. Subsequent analysis confirmed it as the first known local case of the widely circulated variant in South Africa and elsewhere.

Scientists fear a confrontation between the South African version and the Brazilian version P.1, both of which are more contagious and probably more deadly than the original version of the coronavirus, exacerbating increases in COVID-19.

“It could be a huge duel,” said Maria Carolina Sabbaga, one of Butantan’s coordinators for studying the new variants. “I think P.1 has already taken over. I’m not sure if the South African will exceed P.1, let’s see. ”

The South African variant in the studies seems to reduce protection against current vaccines.

José Patané, a Butantan researcher, said the variant most likely arrived in Brazil after traveling through Europe in late 2020.

The first local diagnosis, a 30-year-old woman in the town of Sorocaba, did not travel abroad and did not come into contact with someone who did it, indicating the transmission of the local community, the researchers said.

SLOW VACCINE ROLLOUT

A possible increase in the South African variant could further complicate the slow launch of vaccines in Brazil.

Brazil’s COVID-19 immunization program is built around vaccines from AstraZeneca Plc and Sinovac Biotech Ltd in China, which have proven effective against the Brazilian variant in preliminary studies, according to officials.

Research released on Wednesday showed that the Sinovac shot was 50% effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in a study of nearly 68,000 health workers in Manaus, where the P.1 strain first appeared as the predominant variant. The results support the preliminary findings of separate investigations reported by Reuters last month.

Immunizations have been slow to rise in Brazil after the government dragged its feet last year in purchasing vaccines, while other countries rushed to secure supplies.

President Jair Bolsonaro changed his tone on vaccines, citing photos he had recently despised. But the former captain of the far-right army still opposes social distancing and masks the requirements that health experts consider essential to reduce the transmission of the virus.

Under pressure from business leaders desperate to vaccinate their workforce and reopen operations, the lower house of Congress has passed a controversial bill to allow the purchase of vaccines from the private sector. After the lower house ended voting on the amendments on Wednesday, the bill will now reach the Senate for consideration.

The proposal would allow companies to purchase vaccines to inoculate their employees, as long as they donate the same number of vaccines to the public health system. Under current rules, businesses could only do so after the country has fully vaccinated the risk groups described in a national immunization plan.