Covid-19 data opaque in Brazil’s South

Despite recent misinformation campaigns related to the Covid-19 situation in Brazil’s northeastern states, the region is actually leading the way when it comes to data transparency, according to the latest bulletin by think-tank Open Knowledge Brasil.

Of the nine states in the region, only Bahia has an “average” level of transparency, with the rest rated highly. The states of Alagoas and Pernambuco have progressed since last week and now share first place with Rondônia in the North and Espírito Santo in the Southeast. Minas Gerais, despite recent criticism toward its low level of testing, has an average of 83 points in the transparency ranking.  

Brazil’s southern states, on the other hand, have the lowest transparency levels: an average of 64 points, brought down by the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. According to Fernanda Campagnucci, executive director of Open Knowledge Brasil, the ranking shows that “good data transparency performances do not necessarily depend on the states’ economic development.”

The federal government has also improved since last week, after adding more detailed data, especially regarding Covid-19 in individual municipalities. However, one of the national data panels remains inaccessible and there are issues concerning daily medical bulletins.

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