Today, we look at how the Health Minister fared in a Senate appearance. How cities are trying to prevent Carnival from happening amid the pandemic — and the economic impacts of that decision.
Important: Due to Carnival celebrations, The Brazilian Report will take a break with our newsletters. We will be back on Ash Wednesday. Until there, you can continue following our daily content on brazilian.report
Pazuello bungles Senate appearance, call for hearings gains steam
Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello went to the Senate on Thursday in an attempt to convince lawmakers that the federal government is doing everything in its power to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Senior officials of the Jair Bolsonaro administration said his performance would be decisive to nix opposition plans to launch a congressional hearings committee into the Health Ministry’s conduct during the pandemic. But even his allies admitted that his performance was poor: Mr. Pazuello’s statements were reportedly dismissed as woeful, confusing, contradictory, and even misleading.
- At one point, Mr. Pazuello said there weren’t enough vaccines available for Brazil to purchase and distribute. Then, he promised to vaccinate all Brazilians by the end of the year.
- He also claimed he was not briefed...