Corona Daily 426: Brazilian Miracle

Brazil, at 212 million, is the world’s sixth most populous country. Its coronavirus infections and deaths are second only to the USA. Testing is abysmally low. The University of Sao Paolo and other researchers have published studies suggesting the real cases are 16 times the reported cases. Cities like Amazonas with lack of health care are burying five coffins at a time in mass graves. Hospitals around the country are shattered and in a mess. Since the beginning of June, daily deaths have exceeded 1000. But soon, starting today, all this is going to change. It’s possible in a few weeks; Brazil will be virus-free. The credit for the transformation must go to Jair Bolsonaro, its president.

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For those who don’t know him, he is best described as Brazil’s Donald Trump, but worse. (Yes, such a thing is possible). He is an ex-military man. Since the beginning of the pandemic, he has called Covid-19 a “little flu”. It’s a media trick, global mass hysteria. Jobs and the economy are more important, and as Brazil’s president he opposes any lockdowns. When asked about the high mortality, he said death is everybody’s destiny. Some will die because such is life. However, God is Brazilian, the cure is right here.

Just like the USA, Brazil has a federal structure. Governors and mayors have the authority to take certain steps for their states. But as president of the nation, Bolsonaro has been opposing lockdown policies, arranging rallies of his own and shaking hands, encouraging his supporters to oppose closing factories, tweeting to say Brazil should remain open.

Luiz Mandetta was Brazil’s sensible health minister, believing in science, health experts and data. He advocated lockdowns, social isolation, testing, tracing. Bolsonaro sacked him on 16 April. Nelson Teich, the new health minister, was expected to be loyal to the president. Despite his objections, Bolsonaro was publicly marketing Chloroquine, a malarial drug, for Covid-19. Behind Teich’s back, Bolsonaro signed a presidential decree opening all gyms, beauty salons and barbers across Brazil. The decree termed them as essential services. On 15 May, Teich resigned. Every health minister gets sick of Bolsonaro’s company. Now the president has filled the ministry with army generals, with no health minister appointed yet.

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Bolsonaro doesn’t like cumulative numbers. Because no matter what, they always go up.

The Brazilian miracle began last week. In a daily bulletin on TV at 7 pm, the health ministry updates Brazilians on the coronavirus situation. The bulletin includes total infections and deaths, new infections and deaths and other relevant data. On Wed. 3 June, the ministry postponed the bulletin from 7 pm to 10 pm. We can get better data by 10 pm, it said. On Friday, 5 June, the ministry’s official website was cleaned up. All past data regarding infections and deaths was wiped out. Bolsonaro tweeted that in future new adapted data would be presented. The cumulative data will not be shown any more, because it doesn’t portray today’s situation.

On Saturday, 6 June, the Johns Hopkins dashboard removed Brazil, but reinstated it on Sunday, until further clarity is obtained.

Please don’t be surprised if in a few days you hear the news of Brazil becoming free of coronavirus. No numbers, no problems.

Ravi