Brazilians share the challenges faced during the pandemic

Aug 02, 2021 16:31 8 min read (Updated: Aug 02, 2021 20:24)

After over 556,000 pandemic-related deaths, Brazil features near the very bottom on Bloomberg’s Covid resilience ranking, which evaluates 53 countries each month on aspects such as pace of vaccination, number of deaths, and economic prospects. In April, the country finished dead last.

Amid corruption scandals involving vaccine purchases, Brazil’s immunization campaign took its time to get off the ground. So far, just under 20 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, meaning any prospect of returning to normality remains some way away. To get a grasp of what the current pandemic situation means to Brazil’s vast and diverse population, we spoke to 15 Brazilians from different cities and walks of life, allowing them to tell their stories.

Housekeeper Elaine da Silva, 44, and her two children, Heryck Gabriel, 19, and Emily Vitória, 8, at their house in Itapecerica da Serra. Photo: Isadora Fonseca for TBR

“The most absurd thing about this disease is that it takes everything away from you. They put my father’s naked body in two bags, then put it in the coffin, put a lid on, sealed it, and took it away to the cemetery. All in a minute. You don’t see the person anymore, you can’t clothe them, you can’t bury them.

I think that if the government had done more in the beginning – like lockdowns or fines, as was done foreign countries – maybe the situation wouldn’t be so bad. Here in Brazil it is everyone for themselves and God for us all.”

Camila Bahia, 47. An advertiser and ultramarathon runner, she ran 21 kilometers in one day inside her 40 square-meter apartment during the pandemic. Photo: Isadora Fonseca for TBR

“It seems that people in Brazil have already forgotten that the coronavirus is out there. We didn’t have a person to lead during the pandemic in a human way. We have a bad example in government and this influences the behavior of the population. This resonated badly for our country abroad and for a long time we didn’t have external support from other countries and institutions to help and support us.”

University professor Roberta Borba, 50, from Vitória, highlights that the context of social and economic inequality in Brazil deepens the harsh reality of millions of teachers and students during the pandemic. Photo: Sarita Reed for TBR

“It’s as if we had to change the tires of a car that was still in motion. This has been my feeling since March 2020. We had to reinvent ourselves, quickly learn to operate digital platforms, forms and virtual content, which even today has cost us twice the normal workload of in-person work. The teacher’s workday only has a set time to start and tasks unfold throughout the entire day. Without any training, we became ‘YouTubers.’”

pandemic brazil sarita reed — In São Paulo, photographer Julio Justo, 19, interrupted his work because of the pandemic. After a few months, he began working as a delivery driver. Photo: Isadora Fonseca for TBR

“The reality is here. There’s an enormous amount of information for us to see what’s going on and not believe in conspiracy theories from the government or others. Perhaps if everyone had been aware of the facts...