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People Take Extra Steps to Secure Coronavirus Test in Brazil Hot Spot for Virus


FILE - Nurse Eva Fiori updates a medical record of a patient suffering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Emilio Ribas Institute in Sao Paulo, Brazil, June 17, 2020.
FILE - Nurse Eva Fiori updates a medical record of a patient suffering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Emilio Ribas Institute in Sao Paulo, Brazil, June 17, 2020.

Some people in a Brazil hotspot for the coronavirus are taking extraordinary steps to receive a free coronavirus test in Sao Paulo state, the hardest hit region in the country.

A day after missing her test because the supply ran out, Manuela Souza said, she secured her place in line and slept in the car with her children overnight to make sure she got tested.

The drive-thru tests are being administered by the Butantan Institute for Biological Research.

Juliana Carvalhal, the project manager at Butantan Institute said, their goal is to identify asymptomatic people carrying the virus.

Carvalhal said, people unaware they are infected continue to socialize and potentially infect others.

Brazil aims to test up to 400 people in Sao Paulo daily through next Monday.

Sao Paulo state has confirmed 585,000 COVID-19 cases and more than 24,000 deaths.

Brazil leads all of Latin America with more than 2,860,000 cases and more than 97,400 deaths.

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