People walk across a road in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Tiancong)
Several regions are relaxing preventative measures, with Sao Paulo, the state most affected by the pandemic, removing this week mandatory mask requirements except on public transportation and in health centers.
SAO PAULO, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Brazil reported 304 deaths and 44,154 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, bringing the national death toll to 657,102 and the total caseload to 29,617,266, the country's Ministry of Health reported Saturday.
Brazil has been struggling with the Omicron variant of the virus since the end of December, with a record number of infections in January, but since February, indicators such as deaths, hospitalizations and positive cases have been in sharp decline, according to official data.
For this reason, several regions are relaxing preventative measures, with Sao Paulo, the state most affected by the pandemic, removing this week mandatory mask requirements except on public transportation and in health centers.
The daily moving average of deaths has been falling since Feb. 11 and stood at 308 on Saturday, while the daily moving average of infections was 38,162.
Experts say that mass vaccination against the disease has served as a barrier against the lethality of the Omicron variant.
About 158.8 million people have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in the country and 72.2 million people have received a booster dose, according to official data. ■
