Brazil likely has 12 times more coronavirus cases than official count, study finds

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Reuters

APRIL 13, 2020 / 2:25 PM / UPDATED 3 HOURS AGO

Jake Spring, Pedro Fonseca
3 MIN READ

BRASILIA/RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazil likely has 12 times more cases of the new coronavirus than are being officially reported by the government, with too little testing and long waits to confirm the results, according to a study released on Monday.

Researchers at a consortium of Brazilian universities and institutes examined the ratio of cases resulting in deaths through April 10 and compared it with data on the expected death rate from the World Health Organization.

The much higher-than-expected death rate in Brazil indicates there are many more cases of the virus than are being counted, with the study estimating only 8% of cases are being officially reported.

The government has focused on testing serious cases rather than all suspected cases, according to the consortium, known as the Center for Health Operations and Intelligence. The center and medical professionals have also complained of long wait times to get test results.

Read more: https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-brazil-cases/brazil-likely-has-12-times-more-coronavirus-cases-than-official-count-study-finds-idUKKCN21V1X1?rpc=401&

[sandensea]

1. Sure. They hardly count cases in favelas (urban slums) or the impoverished Northeast or Amazon.

That's tens of millions of people between them.

But not Bolsonaro's 'kind' of people.

"Would you object if one of your sons fell in love with a black woman?" he was asked not too long ago.

"I doubt it could happen," he snorted back. "My sons were brought up better than that."

[dalton99a]

2. Kick

Sao Paulo (CNN) Fears are growing that the coronavirus could ravage Brazil's indigenous communities, following the death of a teenage boy in the Amazon region.

A member of the Yanomami people, the 15-year-old boy from the village of Rehebe in northern Brazil had been studying in a nearby town, before returning to his ancestral village where he began to feel symptoms and was transferred to a hospital. He died on Friday from complications related to COVID-19, according to the Health Ministry.

Some 800,000 indigenous people live in villages throughout Brazil. They may be particularly endangered by the pandemic, with some tribes never having had previous contact with the outside world, and others living far from healthcare facilities and without basic sanitation facilities.

[SunSeeker]

3. Sounds like Bolsonaro is copying Trump to a T. nt

[DENVERPOPS]

4. totally agree

but I think all the U.S. stats are highly suspect also. Nursing home deaths from Covid are not being reported even in NY City, and I suspect everywhere across the U.S. Even the JohnHopkins website has some things that cause me to wonder......

Of course Russia's are totally un-believeable, as well as many many other countries.....

[Marie Marie]

5. I agree also. I think our number of cases AND our number of deaths is

much, much higher than are being reported. And that is not by accident.

[DENVERPOPS]

6. Good call, MM

There are some things weird about the stats from even supposedly reliable sources.......

[Bernardo de La Paz]

10. Excess mortality analyzed later will tell the tale. Hard to coverup. . . . nt

[Thekaspervote]

7. Yes... most of the red states are not reporting! Look at FL

My family there say it’s very much under reported

[DENVERPOPS]

9. As one example

NY City, (believe it or not) was not counting any Covid19 deaths in any of the NY city retirement homes, rehab facilities, alzheimers and dementia care facilities, or extended care facilities. NYC

A lot of states are only reporting deaths in the hospitals, and no where else.....

And the amount of people in the U.S. that have actually been tested is an absolute disgrace....

Hey Trump where are all the test materials you guaranteed over two months ago and counting......

His philosophy is: No testing, no reliable statistics.......and, most importantly: no tests =no acknowledgment that would prove him to be a pathological liar when reporting to the nation

[SunSeeker]

8. Yes, any deaths blamed on pneumonia now should be suspected as Covid-19. nt

[aggiesal]

11. IF this is true then ...

they currently have 23,955 (Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center)
means they actually have 287,460
which would put them in 2nd place behind the US and ahead of Spain.

In reality, I believe every nation is under reporting.

[Firestorm49]

12. So do we. Don't kid yourself.