Brazil’s coronavirus deniers in positions of power

“All of this is a lie. Flu, everybody gets. But coronavirus has never killed a single person on the face of the Earth. It never has, and it never will. Don’t be afraid of the caronavirus (sic).”

Despite hundreds of cases in Brazil and thousands of deaths around the world, the denial of Covid-19—using arguments such as the above, boomed from a megaphone on top of a sound truck in the city of São Luís on Sunday—continues to find purchase in the country.

Brazil is on the verge of a considerable spike in Covid-19 cases and deaths, with the Health Ministry and state governments urging the practice of social distancing to help contain the spread as much as possible.

This “covid-skepticism” can be traced back to President Jair Bolsonaro and his legions of supporters. On March 10, in one of his first public acknowledgments of the novel coronavirus, Mr. Bolsonaro...