Brazil reels as Omicron spreads, weighing on hospitals and economy

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Brazil is suffering a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases as the Omicron variant spreads through the country, putting pressure on health services and weighing on an already sputtering economy.

Insufficient testing and a data blackout caused by hackers have made it harder for experts to track the spread of Omicron in Brazil, but there are increasingly clear signs that the variant is hitting Latin America's largest nation hard.

Confirmed cases have almost doubled since last week, with the rolling average for the past seven days surging to 52,500, from 27,267 last Wednesday.

Read the full Reuters story here.

People wait to receive medical attention and to be tested for Covid-19 at Princess Isabel Palace, where a healthcare unit specialising in Covid-19 and flu symptoms has been set up, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. — Reuters/File
People wait to receive medical attention and to be tested for Covid-19 at Princess Isabel Palace, where a healthcare unit specialising in Covid-19 and flu symptoms has been set up, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. — Reuters/File

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