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Speaking to The Guardian, Miguel Nicolelis, a neuroscientist at Duke University, called on the international community to condemn the Brazilian government for failing to control the epidemic, which has killed more than a quarter of a million Brazilians so far. This is ten percent of global casualties.
It is necessary to warn the world of the risk that Brazil represents in the fight against the epidemic. What is the meaning of anti-epidemic measures in Europe or the United States if Brazil continues to be a breeding ground for the virus? “
According to Nicolelis, the problem is not simply that Brazil is “the worst performing country in the world to face a pandemic, but that if we allow the virus to multiply to its current level, we will open the door to new mutations and even more deadly variants.” .
One of Brazil’s most worrisome mutants, P1, dates back to Manaus, the largest city in the Amazon, where in January the epidemic wreaked havoc and local health completely collapsed. So far, six cases of this variant have been discovered in the UK.
“Brazil is an open-air laboratory where more deadly mutations can occur,” Nicolelis warned. “It’s about the world. Global. “
Nicolelis said that the virus-rejecting president, Bolsonaro, was unable to curb the epidemic and did not launch a proper vaccination campaign. And this has led to a national tragedy from which the most populous country in South America is unlikely to emerge by the end of 2022.
I predict that if the world is shocked by what happened in Bergamo, Italy and Manaus a few weeks ago, what will happen throughout Brazil will be even more shocking if we do nothing, Nicolelis noted.
In Brazil, the deadliest chapter of the epidemic to date has begun, hospital performance has collapsed or is on the brink of collapse, and the number of deaths has reached a dramatic new record. 1,726 deaths were reported Tuesday, the highest since the outbreak began.
The scientist, who advised national governments, now urges the creation of a special Covid commission to fill the leadership vacuum left by Bolsonaro and order an immediate 21-day national shutdown. However, given Bolsonaro’s attitude so far, this seems virtually impossible.
(Cover image: Vaccination in Marica, Brazil, on January 20, 2021. Photo: Mauro Pimentel / AFP)
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