By Pedro Fonseca and Eduardo Simões

RIO DE JANEIRO/SAO PAULO – Brazil has seen a dramatic rise in COVID-19 related cases. The Omicron variant is spreading through Brazil, putting strain on the health system and weighing down an already struggling economy.

Omicron has been spreading in Brazil because of inadequate testing and hackers causing data blackouts. But there is increasing evidence that it’s affecting Latin America’s largest country.

The number of confirmed cases has almost doubled in the last week. From 27,267 on Wednesday, the rolling average over the last seven days rose to 52,500.

Experts think the real number may be higher due to insufficient testing and lack of systems that allow for public reporting.

The number of deaths, at 120 per day, is still far below last year’s peak when Brazil was the epicenter of the disease with more than 3,000 people dying each day.

According to Reuters, Brazil is the country with the highest number of COVID-19-related deaths, at 620,000, behind Russia and the United States.

Jair Bolsonaro, President of Brazil, has come under fire for how he handled the pandemic. He refused to wear a mask to public places, opposed lockdowns and chose not to be vaccinated.

The success of the 67% vaccination campaign that saw the entire population inoculated will help to reduce the effects of this current outbreak of infection, according to Epidemiologists.

Hospitals are being affected by staff shortages due to the fact that doctors and nurses have been found positive for a test.

“If you don’t know a friend who’s got the virus at the moment, it means you don’t have any friends,” said César Eduardo Fernandes, head of the Brazilian Medical Association (AMB).

He stated that “the situation is concerning and it is possible for some services to collapse”, adding that hospital staff absenteeism had increased by three times in the four weeks following Omicron’s wave.

It is also hurting the overall economy. Brazil’s National Association of Restaurants stated that 85% of their members have lost staff, and about 20% of total workforce.

Airlines Azul SA (NYSE: ) Latam Airlines Group was forced to cancel some flights by a staff shortage, leading to lengthy lines in airports.

In an attempt to reduce the severity of the situation, the Health Ministry shortened the quarantine period in which patients with COVID-19 symptoms are kept away from the public, from 10 days.

Many states have cancelled carnival celebrations in an effort to stop the spread of this disease. Rio de Janeiro has banned famous street parties. Sao Paulo, however, plans a samba celebration.

Scientists are concerned that the extent of the epidemic will only be revealed in the coming weeks.

Some databases of the Health Ministry are offline due to a ransomware attack that occurred Dec. 10. This has seriously limited government’s ability gather information from state health authorities. The testing remains below that of South American counterparts.

Alexandre Naime Barbosa is the head of epidemiology for Sao Paulo State University.