COVID-19 in Brazil

Articles/Artículos - Black & Indigenous Brazil/Brasil Afro y Indigena, Statistics/Estadistica.

Articles/Artículos - COVID-10

Articles/Artículos Black & Indigenous Brazil/Brasil Afro y Indigena

Brazil's Indigenous tribes: COVID-19 spreading in Amazon region  5/24/2020 Al Jazeera: "As coronavirus cases rise to above 340,000 in Brazil, it is also threatening vulnerable Indigenous communities in the Amazonas region. The state has one of the highest infection rates in the country and also suffers from poor healthcare."

Covid-19: Unmasking racial inequalities in Brazil – In a period of two weeks, the number of blacks killed by coronavirus is five times higher in Brazil  5/23/2020 Black Women of Brazil: "In two weeks, the number of black people dying for Covid-19 in Brazil has increased fivefold. From April 11 to 26, deaths of black patients confirmed by the Federal Government went from just over 180 to more than 930. In addition, the number of black Brazilians hospitalized for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) caused by coronavirus increased 5.5 times. The increase in deaths of white patients was much lower: in the same two weeks, the number reached just over three times. And the number of hospitalized white Brazilians has increased in a similar proportion. The explosion of cases of blacks who are hospitalized or die because of Covid-19 has unmasked racial inequalities in Brazil: among blacks, there is one death for every three hospitalized for SARS caused by the coronavirus; among whites, there is one death for every 4.4 hospitalizations."

João Pedro, a pandemia e as vidas em risco, dentro ou fora de casa  5/20/2020 Alma Preta: "Enquanto a família de João Pedro o procurava, um boletim epidemiológico do Ministério da Saúde confirmava que negros e negras são maioria das pessoas mortas pela Covid-19 no Brasil, numa proporção que apenas cresce."

Covid-19: Quilombo da Parada realiza campanha de auxílio à famílias  5/11/2020 Alma Preta: "O bairro onde a campanha irá beneficiar as famílias fica no distrito de Parada de Taipas, próximo à Brasilândia, onde há a maior concentração de mortes decorrentes da Covid-19 na cidade de São Paulo."

Race matters in the Covid-19 fight  5/10/2020 The Brazilian Report: "As editor Euan Marshall explained late in March, the coronavirus did not come to Brazil from China, but rather from Europe — brought by members of upper classes (who tend to be mostly white) who were traveling abroad. As soon as the virus set foot on Brazilian soil, however, the profiles of the victims began to change. The first person to die of the disease in Rio de Janeiro was a 63-year-old black domestic worker who contracted the novel coronavirus from her employer — who neglected to disclose her condition to the maid. Brazilian social relations continue to be defined by race, with the majority of those living below the poverty line being black and brown. In contrast, those at the top of the social order are significantly whiter."

Under new head, Health Ministry suffers delays in Covid-19 victim info  5/7/2020 The Brazilian Report: "Under new Health Minister Nelson Teich, the Health Ministry is experiencing a delay in the release of information on individuals who died from Covid-19. Initially published on a daily basis, data on victims’ gender, age, and ethnicity are now only released once a week since Mr. Teich was sworn in on April 17. According to the Ministry, “the frequency was extended in order to better qualify the data to be presented to the population.” The ministry, however, has not released new data for the past 10 days."

SITUAÇÃO EPIDEMIOLÓGICA DOENÇA PELO CORONAVÍRUS 2019  4/20/2020 Boletim COE Covid-19: "Óbitos por Síndrome Respiratória Aguda Grave (SRAG) por COVID-19 segundo raça/cor*. Brasil, 2020." [al final]

In Brazil, whites are more likely to contract coronavirus, but blacks are more likely to die from the disease  4/11/2020 Black Women of Brazil: "Covid-19, the coronavirus disease, is more lethal among blacks than among whites. This is what a survey by the Folha de S.Paulo newspaper shows, using data from the Ministry of Health, published on Friday (10). Pretos (blacks) and pardos (browns) are 23.1% of those hospitalized with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, but they reach 32.8% of those killed by Covid-19. With whites, it is the opposite and there are fewer deaths than hospitalized: 73.9% of the total patients, but 64.5% of the deaths. Although minority among the records of those affected by the disease, pretos and pardos represent almost 1 in 4 of Brazilians hospitalized with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (23.1%) but they make up 1 in 3 among those killed by Covid-19 (32.8%). With whites, the opposite is true: there are 73.9% among those hospitalized with Covid-19, but 64.5% among the dead."

Covid-19: Ministério da Saúde divulgará dados de infectados por raça/cor  4/10/2020 Alma Preta: "A partir do dia 10 de abril, o Ministério da Saúde divulgará os dados dos infectados e mortos pela Covid-19 também com os indicadores de raça/cor. O pedido veio do Grupo de Trabalho de Saúde da População Negra da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina de Família e Comunidade (SBMFC). O grupo também pressiona o Ministério da Saúde para que os dados apresentem os indicadores de infecção e morte da doença por bairro nos municípios. As propostas buscam um perfil sócio-racial mais detalhado sobre os impactos da pandemia no Brasil. No dia 8 de abril, a Coalizão Negra por Direitos, grupo que reúne mais de 150 entidades do movimento antirracista, protocolaram pedidos no Ministério da Saúde e em secretarias estaduais de saúde para que os dados venham desmembrados pelos quesitos raça/cor."

“This brazen negro WILL NOT be served!”: Black man with coronavirus punched, kicked, put in choke hold and thrown in the street by hospital security  4/7/2020 Black Women of Brazil: "I didn’t accept it. After that they threatened to put me outside, punched me in the back, in the ribs, kicked me in the legs and also put me in a choke hold. Imagine yourself, someone with pneumonia going through all of this, PRACTICALLY UNABLE TO BREATHE. I was thrown out of the hospital like that, with violence, thrown into the street. I was supported by a citizen who put me on a stretcher and argued with the security guards and helped me to be attended. When I finally entered the emergency room, security guards entered and said to the nurse that “THIS ONE WILL NOT BE SERVED”. In that room I was humiliated, threatened, provoked. I was called ‘brazen negro’ again. The nurse again tried to check my vital signs. And finally I was tended to. I begged to be taken care of in a dignified manner. I begged for my right as a citizen to use a basic service. I was diagnosed on March 29 with Coronavirus and I am in total isolation. I share my story so that others don’t go through it, so that no citizen goes through it."

In São Paulo’s Paraisópolis favela, coronavirus spreads fast with 70 suspected and confirmed cases; São Paulo’s poor favelas are 70% black  4/6/2020 Black Women of Brazil: "With nearly 70% of people in this favela working in some sort of service area (cleaning, doormen, babysitting, domestics), they could represent the most at risk group. What’s worse is that, with a President such as Jair Bolsonaro showing himself not capable or willing to take the pandemic seriously, the situation in favelas such as Paraisópolis could become a major problem. Community leader Gilson Rodrigues sees the gravity of the scenario. For Rodrigues, most cases of Covid-19 will probably happen in the favelas."

Brazil's Covid-19 socialite superspreader  3/31/2020 The Brazilian Report: "The first Covid-19 death in the state of Rio de Janeiro was 63-year-old Cleonice Gonçalves [afro-brazilian], a maid who worked for a wealthy family in the upmarket Rio neighborhood of Leblon. State officials say Ms. Gonçalves contracted the virus from her employer, who had been holidaying in Italy and fell ill on return but allegedly refused to inform her housekeeper of the risk of contamination. On Monday, March 16, Ms. Gonçalves began showing Covid-19 symptoms while at work. She then took a two-hour taxi back to her home in Miguel Pereira — a countryside town north of Rio de Janeiro. Diabetic and with a history of high blood pressure, Ms. Gonçalves died the following afternoon."

Articles/Artículos

Brazil's Bolsonaro could soon be toppled, analysts say, as coronavirus cases surge  5/27/2020 CNBC: "Muggah said there were at least three ways Bolsonaro could be ousted before the country's next presidential election in 2022, citing impeachment proceedings (including an allegation he poses a threat to public health), conviction by the Supreme Court for common crimes, or ejection by the national electoral tribunal for alleged misconduct during the 2018 campaign. "It is tempting to say that he is making outrageous statements to deflect attention from his criminal behavior. But that would be over-estimating the man," Muggah continued. "Crises such as this one demand focused, competent leadership. Bolsonaro is incapable of this, and the longer he remains in power, the more Brazilians will die," he added."

Brasil realiza menos de 10% de testes de Covid-19 entregues ao Ministério da Saúde  5/26/2020 Reuters: "Os laboratórios oficiais do governo realizaram somente 9,6% dos 4,7 milhões de testes moleculares da Covid-19 entregues ao Ministério da Saúde entre os quase 14 milhões de kits adquiridos pelo governo, informou a pasta nesta terça-feira, refletindo a persistente dificuldade do Brasil em ampliar a capacidade de testagem em grande escala enquanto a doença avança pelo país. De acordo com o Ministério da Saúde, os labotatórios públicos oficiais realizaram até esta terça-feira 460.102 testes moleculares (RT-PCR) da Covid-19, de um total de 24 milhões de testes desse tipo prometido pelo governo para este ano diante da pandemia do novo coronavírus."

Ministério da Saúde recebeu 34% dos testes comprados  5/26/2020 O Globo: "O Ministério da Saúde só recebeu 34% dos testes moleculares - mais precisos porque identificam o vírus no organismo - entre 13,9 milhões de unidades adquiridas. São, em número absolutos, 4,7 milhões de testes recebidos pela pasta. Desse total, 3,1 milhões foram distribuídos aos laboratórios públicos, que processaram 460,1 mil exames. A esse número, somam-se os 411,7 mil testes feitos nos cinco maiores laboratórios privados do país, que repassaram dados ao Ministério da Saúde. A taxa de resultados positivos é bem próxima: 25,7% na rede estatal e 28,4% na particular."

Coronavírus no BR | São mais de 390 mil casos da COVID-19 e 24.512 óbitos  5/26/2020 Canaltech: "Desde fevereiro quando o vírus chegou ao país, o maior número de notificações da COVID-19 está concentrada no estado de São Paulo, que marca 86.017 casos confirmados e 6.423 mortes. Já o segundo estado com mais casos e óbitos pela nova infeção respiratória é o Rio de Janeiro, com 40.024 confirmações e 4.361 mortes. Na terceira posição está o estado do Ceará, com 37.021 casos e 2.603 mortes, seguido pelo Amazonas (31.949 confirmações e 1.852 óbitos) e por Pernambuco (28.854 casos e 2.328 óbitos). Além destes estados, Pará, Maranhão, Bahia e Espírito Santo também registram mais de 10 mil casos confirmados da infecção respiratória. Na federação, Mato Grosso do Sul é o estado menos afetado em óbitos, com 1.100 casos e 17 mortes. Além dos citados, todos os outros estados brasileiros já registram casos e óbitos em decorrência do novo coronavírus."

Modelo usado pela Casa Branca eleva para 125 mil projeção de mortes por Covid-19 no Brasil até agosto  5/26/2020 Folhapress: "Nesta segunda-feira (25), porém, após o crescimento vertiginoso de casos e mortes em território brasileiro nas últimas semanas, e o país ter passado a ser o epicentro da pandemia, de acordo com a OMS (Organização Mundial da Saúde), o instituto americano também atualizou os números para pior. O modelo usa uma janela de intervalo ampla, que no caso brasileiro variava de 30.302 a 193.786. Agora, esse intervalo está entre 68.311 e 221.078 mortes até 4 de agosto, indicando que a curva continua subindo até lá."

Brazil faces dark week as Covid-19 toll rises  5/25/2020 CNN: "The explosion of cases in Brazil is part of a new rise across Latin America that worries health experts. Peru, Chile and Mexico have also seen steep rises in new cases over the past week. "We don't have the situation under control and particularly in many of the poorer areas of the world, it's really spiraling upward," Dr. Keiji Fukuda, former World Health Organization assistant director-general for health security told CNN's Alisyn Camerota on Friday."

Brazil: In response to COVID-19, authorities must ensure adequate access to healthcare for marginalized groups  5/14/2020 Amnesty: "Data from the municipal government of São Paulo shows that the risk of death from COVID-19 is 62% higher for black people than it is for white people. Data from the Ministry of Health already point to the higher level of deaths among the black and brown population: one in every three COVID-19 patients who has died has been black or brown. Furthermore, there have also been indications that the numbers of deaths in favelas are increasing, infections in prisons may increase, infections amongst Indigenous peoples are increasing, and infections and deaths of members of Afro-descendant communities have increased as well. Simultanously, the government policies to address the specific needs of these communities have been inadequate. For example, there is no comprehensive policy for homeless people."

Black and Multi-Ethnic Brazilians Hit Hard By COVID-19  5/11/2020 Zenger News: "Official numbers show black and multi-ethnic Brazilians, who make up about 32% of the population, account for one-third of COVID-19 deaths. That data, however, might not illustrate the full picture."

Bolsonaro continues to dismiss Covid-19 threat as cases skyrocket in Brazil  5/8/2020 CNN: "Brazil's coronavirus cases have spiked to 135,106 including 9,146 deaths, according to numbers released Wednesday by the Brazilian Health Ministry. This surge comes as President Jair Bolsonaro's spokesman, Gen. Otavio Santana do Rego Barros, confirmed he tested positive for Covid-19. Yet Bolsonaro said earlier this week he believed "the worst had passed" for the coronavirus pandemic, during a press conference outside the Alvorada presidential residence in Brasilia. But as the number of cases and deaths continue to climb, many health experts fear the worst is yet to come."

Coronavírus: Brasil tem 8.535 mortes e 125.096 casos confirmados, diz Ministério da Saúde  5/6/2020 Yahoo: "O Ministério da Saúde atualizou para 8.535 o número de mortes em decorrência do novo coronavírus no Brasil nesta quarta-feira (6). Ao todo, também foram confirmados 125.096 casos da Covid-19 no país. A taxa de letalidade do vírus permaneceu em 6,9%."

Advocates raise alarm as countries fail to collect racial data of coronavirus patients  4/24/2020 PRI: "“We are actually very far from being able to take race seriously and to see race as an important factor,” said Amparo, who is part of a coalition of major black organizations in Brazil petitioning the government to require collection of racial data for COVID-19 patients. “My fear is that this will become an invisible disease — that we are not going to actually document it and try to fight back.”"

Coronavirus: Jair Bolsonaro threatens to fire health minister after clashing over Brazil’s containment strategy  3/30/2020 Independent: "Recent modelling by researchers at Imperial College London suggests that as many as 1.1 million people could die in Brazil if no action was taken to limit the spread of Covid-19. If drastic containment measures are implemented, the research suggests up to 44,200 lives will be lost."

In Brazil, Bolsonaro Doubles Down On 'Exaggerated' Coronavirus  3/25/2020 NPR: "As Bolsonaro faces the massive health and economic emergency posed by the coronavirus, he could also find himself fighting for political survival. Some lawmakers have been calling for his impeachment."

Rio's Favela Gangs Impose Strict Curfews To Fight Spread Of "Disease Of The Rich"  3/25/2020 Zero Hedge: "Brazilian newspaper Extra says gangsters and militias in Cidade de Deus, Brazil, have deployed vehicles with massive loudspeakers blaring prerecorded messages to inform residents in the slums that they must shelter in place amid the COVID-19 outbreak, reported Reuters. "We're imposing a curfew because nobody is taking this seriously," the message said, according to Extra."