The regions most affected by the coronavirus- including those where people have resumed their activities--have experienced a sustained fall in the number of deaths and infections. The trend is the same in Europe and the most contaminated states in Brazil and the USA.
In Europe, where the pandemic hit earlier, it is on the decline, although many countries have almost returned to functioning. In the United States, the most affected cities and the waves of street protests have not had any further outbreaks.
In Brazil, capitals such as São Paulo, Manaus, Rio de Janeiro, and Recife, which are already heavily affected, are reopening without repeating. But the epidemic is spreading to the interior and the South and Midwest regions, which had been spared until now.
Epidemiologists and new studies suggest that the so-called collective immunity may have been overestimated or inaccurately calculated. This would explain that there is no second wave in places with well under 20% of the population with antibodies.
"This occurs at the cost of many deaths," said Daniel Soranz, a researcher at the National School of Public Health at Fiocruz.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon