Link to Article: “Brazil records more than 90,000 new COVID cases in a single day“
Recently, Brazil has been experiencing a massive increase in new COVID-19 cases throughout the country. Because of this, Brazilian President, Bolsonaro, is facing public pressure to get the pandemic under control. Cases hit 90,000 in a single day, with a death record of 2,841. As public discontent grew, Brazil hired a new health minister, Dr. Marcelo Queiroga, replacing the previous health minister, an army general who had no experience in the medical field. Brazil also announced plans to implement previously ignored “social distancing” policies, as well as plans to expand hospital capacities. Furthermore, the Brazilian Supreme Court dropped convictions from former president, Lula da Silva, allowing him to run in the next election. This places Bolsonaro under more pressure to control the pandemic.
Brazil, along with many other South American countries, has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has led to mass damage to the economy, small businesses, and most importantly, people’s lives. This is why it is vital for Brazil to make attempts to lower case numbers, and keep the public safe. This may take time, due to Brazil’s protests and resistance to public health safety precautions such as social distancing and wearing masks. As the article states, not even Bolsonaro shows full support for the precautions. On the bright side, the country did announce efforts to manage the pandemic, so it will be up to the public and local governments to fully enforce the regulations that, in the long run, will benefit them. Without any effort, the pandemic in Brazil will only worsen, eventually forcing them into another lockdown, which will cause further damage to the economy, as well as the availability of treatments for those who need them.
This issue, although concerning a global pandemic, relatively affects the state and regional levels. With the main actor in the situation, Bolsonaro, failing to handle the pandemic in Brazil, the country is beginning to struggle, and public outrage is rising throughout the nation. Nations surrounding Brazil are suffering with similar issues as Brazil, and due to their close proximity to the country, they will be the most affected by it. On the international level, foreign nations may begin, or continue to keep their borders closed to citizens from Brazil, due to a high risk of carrying in COVID.