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'Please delay pregnancies', Brazil urges local women amid coronavirus surge

WION Web Team
Brasilia, BrazilUpdated: Apr 17, 2021, 05:32 PM IST
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Photograph:(AFP)

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The request has come as Brazil is experiencing one of the worst waves of coronavirus, with the country marking one of the highest death tolls in the world

As coronavirus cases are alarmingly increasing in Brazil, the authorities have urged women to delay pregnancy for at least a few months.

The request has come as Brazil is experiencing one of the worst waves of coronavirus, with the country marking one of the highest death tolls in the world.

"If it's possible, delay pregnancy a little until a better moment," Raphael Parente, a health ministry official said during a news conference.

This has also been requested as the officials claim the new Brazil variant is more dangerous for pregnant women.

"The clinical experience of specialists shows that this new variant acts more aggressively in pregnant women," Parente explained.

Brazilian variant of coronavirus, also known as P1, was first identified in Manaus, an Amazon city, and spread very quickly in Brazil. It has also been assumed to be one of the biggest reasons behind the surge in cases in the country.

The outbreak has also affected the younger generation this time, especially people in their 30s and 40s, who have been admitted in the ICUs.

With the hospitals running on full capacity, the Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, has again opposed lockdown and has continued holding large and crowded events in the country.