Government creates Covid-19 “scoreboard”

Citizenship Minister Onyx Lorenzoni. Photo: Lula Marques/APT

Ignoring all the negative data concerning the Covid-19 pandemic, the Jair Bolsonaro government has decided to maintain its head in the sand and focus on exclusively positive news. On Wednesday morning, the Citizenship Ministry released its Covid-19 “scoreboard,” stating that, out of the nearly 72,000 Brazilians infected by the virus, 32,544 have been cured and another 34,325 are “in recovery” — which includes all Brazilians currently receiving treatment for the disease.

Data on recovered patients, however, is highly inconsistent — as data editor Marcelo Soares explained.

On Tuesday, Brazil’s official death toll surpassed China’s, reaching a total of 5,017 deaths. And while a lack of testing in the country makes accurate measurements impossible, the continuous rise in Brazil’s Covid-19 death curve is a cause for concern to many — except President Jair Bolsonaro. Questioned about the numbers on Tuesday evening, he replied: “So what? I’m sorry. What do you want me to do?”

Today, the president refused to be held accountable for the health crisis, even though he has been one of the most prominent Covid-19 deniers among major world leaders. “[The press] won’t put something on my lap that doesn’t belong to me. Reporters should ask [São Paulo Governor João] Doria why his state has registered more deaths than anywhere else.”

Home to 22 percent of the Brazilian population, São Paulo has been the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

Brenno Grillo

Brenno has worked as a journalist since 2012, specializing in coverage related to law and the justice system. He has worked for O Estado de S. Paulo, Portal Brasil, ConJur, and has experience in political campaigns.