Brazil’s COVID-19 scenario remains extremely worrying, with the country reaching on June 19th 500,000 COVID-19 deaths and on the second week of June the average daily COVID-19 fatality rate has crept above 2,000 people a day for the first time since May and has since fallen to a still worrying 1,800 average of deaths from the last two epidemiological weeks. Likewise, the number of new cases has also risen to more than 70,000 a day. This is not far from the highest average of over 77,000 reached during the peak of the second wave in early May.

MSF sees this situation as very concerning and many experts talk about a possible third wave approaching.

We continue our activities in the front line of the pandemic in areas of the country with communities who are particularly vulnerable.

In Fortaleza, Ceará, the organisation is doing activities in two communities (Grande Bom Jardim and Jose Walter) affected by violence and with difficult access to healthcare. We are working with two mobile clinics with testing, health promotion, mental health and vaccination enrolment support activities.

In the state of Bahia, teams are providing trainings to improve medical fluxes and protocols, as well as are establishing a decentralized strategy with rapid antigen testing for COVID-19. The goal is to strenghten the local health systems in three cities of the interior of the state (Cocos, Xique-Xique, Riachão das Neves) so they are better prepared to respond to a possible third wave of cases.