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RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil’s COVID-19 death count surpassed 150,000 on Saturday night (October 10), despite signs that the pandemic is slowly retreating in Latin America’s largest nation.
The Brazilian Ministry of Health reported that the death toll now stands at 150,198. The figure is the second highest in the world behind the United States, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.
The milestone has rekindled the grief of Naiane Moura, a sales consultant, who lost her father Elivaldo to COVID-19 in April. The 58-year-old postman had no prior illness and battled COVID-19 for seven days at a public hospital in Manaus, Brazil’s largest city in the Amazon.
“When I see 150,000, I see my father along with many other faceless bodies,” Moura said by phone. “I did not imagine that we would reach that number. I don’t think we can ever get over this completely. “
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Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro downplayed the severity of the virus, while deaths rose rapidly in Brazil. The 65-year-old president mocked social distancing in lively rallies and encouraged crowds during exits from the presidential residence.
Bolsonaro rejected blockades by governors and mayors and other tough measures to contain the spread of the virus, even after he contracted it himself in July, and insisted that shutting down Brazil’s economy would lead to chaos.
“Life goes on. Brazil needs to produce,” he said on July 7 in Brasilia when he announced that he was infected.
Manaus, Moura’s hometown, turned into a horror show early in the pandemic. Between April and May, the health system collapsed in the city as patients were turned away from crowded hospitals and overwhelmed cemeteries were forced to dig mass graves. The capital of the state of Amazonas has had 122 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, well above the national average of 71 per 100,000. The nation of 210 million people surpassed 5 million confirmed infections on Wednesday, according to official data.
Recently there have been signs of relief in Brazil. Over the past month and a half, the viral curve has dropped. The average number of deaths stood at 598 over the past 7 days, the lowest level since early May.
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The mayors of big cities like Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro continue to reopen activities like cinemas and schools, even as public health experts warn of possible new outbreaks.
Manaus, where restrictions were relaxed, saw an increase in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks that led to speculation of a possible second wave. Local authorities restored restrictions on trade and activity and closed the beach along the river.
Moura said he holds federal authorities responsible for the huge death toll.
“Many lives could have been saved if our leaders had taken rigorous measures in the beginning,” he said.
Bolsonaro has faced harsh criticism for his handling of the health crisis and has changed health minister twice amid the pandemic. However, his popularity is at an all-time high since he took office in January 2019, which political analysts attribute to his distribution of emergency cash to help tens of millions of poorer Brazilians weather the economic recession.
About 40 percent of Brazilians surveyed by pollster Ibope rate their government as good or excellent, according to a poll published on September 24 that has a margin of error of 2 percentage points. “Bolsonaro helped the population to open their eyes. Health has to go hand in hand with the economy, ”said Paulo Gomes, 54, a taxi driver who supports Bolsonaro.
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In Sao Paulo, Ricardo Vieira, a doctor who works in one of the city’s largest working-class neighborhoods known as favelas, said the government’s COVID-19 cash transfer program was not enough to protect the poor, they often have little access to medical care.
To remedy the lack of support in the Paraisopolis favela, an NGO called G10 hired three private ambulances and eight health professionals, including Dr. Vieira, who has been there since March.
“We are dealing with lives and when we come to a poor community we saw that the government cannot reach these people,” Vieira told the Associated Press.
Despite the difficulties and lack of resources, Vieira continues to fight to contain the devastation of the pandemic.
“I’m doing what I can, I’m doing the best I can,” Vieira said, tears welling up and rolling down her cheeks. “And I don’t know what else I could do.”
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