The number of new deaths from COVID-19 in the 31st epidemiological week (the last week of July) was 7,114, a seven percent reduction from the previous week (7,677), despite the record 1,595 deaths on July 29. This is the first time since the end of July the weekly death toll drops, as per the epidemiological report published by the Health Ministry Wednesday (Aug. 5).
“Brazil, which had shown a steady, though high, number for some five epidemiological weeks, saw a decrease from the 30th to the 31st epidemiological week,” said Health Surveillance Secretary Arnaldo Medeiros. This has led the US, which had notified a dramatic plunge in the death count, once again to report growing numbers and overcome Brazil last week in the number of deaths, with 7,768 new cases, according to official figures.
Despite the shrinkage, Brazil has been above the weekly 7 thousand death threshold for over two months. Deaths have added up to 97.2 thousand, with infections at 2.85 million in the country since the pandemic started.
Case evolution
COVID-19 is still reported to be evolving differently in each Brazilian state. The number of new cases of the disease has seen a reduction in 11 states: Roraima (-17%), Amapá (-9%), Pará (-26%), Acre (-13%), Rondônia (-39%), Mato Grosso do Sul (-6%), Rio Grande do Sul (-8%), Rio de Janeiro (-48%), Bahia (-14%), and Paraíba (-12%).
There are eight states where the number of new cases shows a stable result: Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Goiás, the Federal District, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Piauí, and Ceará. In eight states, there has been an increase: Santa Catarina (39%), São Paulo (8%), Espírito Santo (12%), Sergipe (22%), Alagoas (21%), Rio Grande do Norte (33%), Tocantins (19%), and Maranhão (7%).
Death evolution
Most states saw a reduction in new deaths from COVID-19 last week. A decline in obits is reported in Roraima (-9%), Amazonas (-16%), Amapá (-71%), Pará (-71%), Rondônia (-43%), Maranhão (-40%), Piauí (-13%), Ceará (-27%), Paraíba (-20%), Pernambuco (-20%), Alagoas (-10%), Sergipe(-24%), Rio de Janeiro (-16%), São Paulo (-8%), and Paraná (-7%).
In Goiás, Tocantins, Minas Gerais, and Espírito Santo, the number of new deaths last week remained steady from the week prior. A growth in new deaths, however, was observed in eight states: Acre (100%), Mato Grosso (8%), Mato Grosso do Sul (28%), Bahia (9%), Rio Grande do Norte (107%), Santa Catarina (26%), and Rio Grande do Sul (21%).
