Prognosis
Brazil’s Omicron Toll Begins to Show Even Amid Data Blackout
- Private labs reporting surging positivity rates after holidays
- Covid-19 notification system mostly down since mid-December
A health worker collects a Covid-19 swab test from a patient in Rio de Janeiro, in Dec. 2021.
Source: AFP/Getty Images
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Omicron, the highly contagious variant of Covid-19, is causing a sharp spike in cases in Brazil after a long respite, even if official data is failing to reflect the toll of the new wave.
Private diagnostics companies like Grupo Fleury SA and Diagnosticos da America SA have seen positivity rates skyrocket to as much as 40% in January, from less than 5% just a month ago. The demand for tests is surging, with emergency rooms in cities like Sao Paulo and Brasilia packed with people reporting flu-like symptoms. In Rio de Janeiro, daily infections passed 1,200 on Jan. 1, from about 90 a month before.