Brazilians losing interest in Senate’s Covid inquiry

After dominating the headlines in the second half of May, the Senate’s hearings committee to investigate the federal government’s pandemic response has lost relevance among the Brazilian public. Data from Google Trends related to the Covid inquiry fell 59 percent between May 22 and June 19.

The peak of public interest in the hearings committee came as former cabinet ministers Ernesto Araújo (Foreign Affairs) and Eduardo Pazuello (Health) gave their testimonies to the inquiry. However, interest has consistently dropped off since.

According to data analyst André Eler, the inquiry is “apparently incapable of producing new facts.”

“The things the opposition considers to be serious — such as the president’s remarks or ‘early treatment’ for the coronavirus — are things the public is already aware of.”

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