Coronavirus pandemic in Brazil

After many odd twists and turns, the Copa Libertadores football match between Rio de Janeiro-based club Flamengo and Ecuadorian side Barcelona — originally scheduled for tonight — has been suspended. 

The decision came after seven Flamengo players tested positive for the coronavirus upon arrival in the city of Guayaquil. However, rules of the Copa Libertadores — South America’s answer to Europe’s Champions League — do not allow for the possibility of postponing games due to health reasons. As a matter of fact, games must be played if at least seven players on each side are able to compete. 

With football governing bodies unwilling to pull the plug on the match, local health authorities stepped in and closed Barcelona’s Monumental Stadium. “At least at this venue, there will be no match between Barcelona and Flamengo,” said Guayaquil Municipal Health Director Luis Salvador.

Both teams, however, are awaiting instructions from South American football confederation Conmebol.

Last week, as the continental tournament resumed following a six-month hiatus, we at The Brazilian Report explained the risks that a transnational competition in South America would entail — with players traveling between countries where the Covid-19 pandemic is not controlled. Conmebol talked about creating a “mobile bubble,” that is, a set of sanitary guidelines that would keep coaching staff and players as isolated as possible.

It took less than a week for this bubble to burst.

Problems abound

After losing seven players to the coronavirus, Flamengo were unable to fly replacement squad members to Guayaquil — or even hold outdoor training sessions — due to poor air quality as a result of ash from the nearby Sangay volcano. On September 20, the volcano’s activity increased considerably, spewing large plumes of ashes, gas and steam.

Debido a la caída de ceniza volcánica, el @Aeropuerto_AAG suspende temporalmente sus operaciones. #Sangay pic.twitter.com/CMTi8aYpoo

— Alcaldía Guayaquil (@alcaldiagye) September 20, 2020

Originally scheduled for November 10 and 11, the Brazil Investment Forum will be postponed to May 2021 due to Covid-19, reported CNN Brasil. The forum is the biggest event in Latin America for promoting foreign investment in the region — and usually attracts executives from major corporations, investors, and government authorities from all over the world.

The Brazil Investment Forum is usually held in São Paulo — Brazil’s biggest economic center — but social-distancing rules put in place by the local government make such an event impossible to take place. 

President Jair Bolsonaro discussed the postponement with Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo, Economy Minister Paulo Guedes, Central Bank Chairman Roberto Campos Neto, and the Chairman of the Brazilian Agency of Investments Promotion (Apex-Brasil), Sérgio Segovia.

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The Jair Bolsonaro administration has already distributed over 5.8 million pills of chloroquine to treat Covid-19 patients. But despite a lack of scientific evidence to support the use of the antimalarial drug against the coronavirus, the Brazilian government is moving to buy even more pills — according to filings by the Health Ministry. 

The information was gathered by Fiquem Sabendo, a journalism agency that advocates for the transparency of public information. 

President Bolsonaro is arguably the world’s biggest advocate for chloroquine, touting the unproven medicine as a “possible cure” for Covid-19. The president claims he used the medicine after testing positive for the coronavirus in July, and calls himself “living proof” of the drug’s efficacy. “Over 100,000 people have died [of Covid-19] in Brazil. If they had been treated back then with this medicine, maybe these lives would have been spared,” he told supporters last month.

During the pandemic, chloroquine production by the Brazilian Army rose 84 times — with 1.25 million pills being manufactured between March and April. In August, the Army declared it had over 1 million pills stockpiled, but no procurement demand for the drug.

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The World Health Organization has released a list of 64 countries — representing nearly two-thirds of the global population — which have committed to the COVAX Facility, a worldwide initiative that brings together governments and manufacturers to ensure future Covid-19 vaccines reach those in greatest need, whoever they are and wherever they live. These 64 members of the Facility will be joined by 92 low- and middle-income economies eligible for support for the procurement of vaccines.

Brazil, however, has only signed a non-binding confirmation of intent to participate in the COVAX Facility, and asked for more time to evaluate whether or not to help finance the initiative. So far, South America is represented by Argentina, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, and Suriname. Meanwhile, Brazil, Mexico, and Chile have yet to fully commit.

The Brazilian government said it needs more information on COVAX Facility’s regulatory framework and logistics plans. “Those definitions are particularly important to a continental country such as Brazil,” said the administration’s press secretary.

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Despite a rise in the 7-day rolling average of new daily deaths, the city of Rio de Janeiro will allow fans to attend football matches starting in October. The match between Rio side Flamengo and Athletico Paranaense, scheduled for October 4, is set to be Brazil’s first game with fans in six-plus months. If results are positive, other stadiums in Rio will be allowed to reopen.

Ticket sales will happen exclusively online, in order to avoid public gatherings at ticket offices. Moreover, only one-third of seats can be filled — which, in the case of the Maracanã stadium, means roughly 20,000 fans.

Some rules must be followed, such as the mandatory use of facemasks, social distancing of at least 1.5 meters between people in the stands, and temperature measurement at entrance gates.

Football was one of the first activities to return from coronavirus-imposed quarantines in Brazil, and the management of the epidemic among players and staff has been haphazard, to say the least. As an example, Flamengo recorded six cases of Covid-19 among their playing squad on Sunday night, but the club will not be impeded from playing a continental tie in Guayaquil, Ecuador tomorrow evening.

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According to data from the Brazilian Health Ministry, 14 children and young people have died in the country after developing a rare inflammatory syndrome as a result of contracting Covid-19. Pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome (PIMS) is seen in people up to 19 years old who have previously been infected with the coronavirus. A total of 197 cases were confirmed. 

The ministry said that despite these symptoms having to be observed carefully, occurrences “have been rare so far, given a large number of cases with good recovery.” The new syndrome has been seen in 14 of the country’s 27 states; Ceará tops the list with 41 cases confirmed, making up 21 percent of all PIMS patients in the country so far.

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According to a coronavirus monitoring panel compiled by newspaper Folha de S.Paulo, the city of São Paulo is currently in a decreasing phase of its Covid-19 epidemic. In simple terms, this means the number of confirmed cases has dropped considerably in recent weeks.

In the last seven days, the country’s biggest city reported around 1,000 to 1,500 cases every day. The week prior to that, new cases hovered around 1,400 and 2,000, when the city’s epidemic was considered to be in a “stable” and “constant” phase. 

When looking at the whole of São Paulo state — Brazil’s most populous — hospitals have posted positive results over the last week, with the lowest occupancy rate of intensive care beds since the beginning of the pandemic in February (49.1 percent). The city of São Paulo is currently registering an ICU occupancy rate of 48.5 percent.

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During an event in the state of Mato Grosso, President Jair Bolsonaro said stay-home recommendations were “nonsense” and called them something “for the weak.” During Friday’s events, Mr. Bolsonaro didn’t wear a facemask nor respect social distancing — despite having been diagnosed with Covid-19. 

“You did not stop during the pandemic. You did not get into that nonsense of ‘let’s stay at home and think about the economy later.’ That’s for the weak. About the virus, I always said it was a reality and that we had to face it [That is not true. At every turn, Mr. Bolsonaro tried to belittle the pandemic]. We should not be afraid of what we can’t escape from. This region, this state, acted this way,” the president said. He added that thanks to the agribusiness sector — which makes up for 50 percent of the Mato Grosso GDP — Brazil escaped a full-scale economic collapse.

Until September 17, Brazil had more than 4.4 million confirmed Covid-19 cases and 135,000 deaths.

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The University of Brasilia announced that it is still seeking volunteers for trials of a potential coronavirus vaccine developed by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech. Researchers say, however, that only healthcare professionals who have been exposed to the virus will be accepted.

According to Gustavo Romero, who coordinates the trials in Brasília, “no adverse reactions have been observed so far.” Mr. Romero and his team work under the umbrella of São Paulo’s Butantan Biological Institute.

Brazil still undecided about Covid-19 vaccine alliance

Meanwhile, the Brazilian government remains on the fence about whether or not to join the COVAX Facility, a global Covid-19 vaccine allocation plan co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO). The deadline for an answer ends today — but the Health Minister has asked for more time. 

“The government is carefully studying Brazil’s participation in the COVAX Facility, an unprecedented initiative that aims at the acquisition of vaccines among at least nine options under clinical analysis. Brazil, like other countries, continues to negotiate with the Global Vaccination Alliance (GAVI) for a deadline extension and also to confirm Brazil’s participation,” the administration said in a statement.

• You should also read: Brazil will need USD 2 billion to buy minimum amount of Covid-19 vaccines

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The Steering Committee of the Brazilian Senate greenlit the reopening of in-person sittings, starting next week. Between September 21 and 24, senators shall hold confirmation hearings on the nomination of multiple government officials, according to the Senate’s Official Gazette. 

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Brazil’s unemployment rates are increasing again, as cities get closer to a full reopening and people without a job start searching for one again. According to the National Household Survey held by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, the rate of workers without a formal occupation grew from 13.2 to 14.3 percent in the fourth week of August.

In May, it sat at 10.5 percent.

“Back then, everyone was in a social-isolation mode and there weren’t many people out there looking for a job,” said Maria Lúcia Vieira, who coordinates the survey. She points out that unemployment rates only consider people who are on an active job hunt.

As formal positions become increasingly scarce, workers are forced into the informal sector. A total of 27.9 million people were working in the informal economy during the fourth week of August — 300,000 more than in the previous week.

Meanwhile, fewer workers are one health leave due to the pandemic — from 20 percent back in May to 4.4 percent now.

• You should also read: Understanding Latin America’s wave of informal employment
• Coronavirus in Latin America: a tale of failed leadership and inequality

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At least four high-profile authorities tested positive for the coronavirus after attending Supreme Court Chief Justice Luiz Fux’s inauguration ceremony — raising questions about whether all sanitary protocols were respected during the event. In response, the court issued a statement saying that “all safety measures recommended by the Health Ministry and by the World Health Organization were strictly followed during the ceremony. 

Still, it will “study new and safer procedures for the future,” says the statement.

The court did not inform the public about how many civil servants were working during Chief Justice Fux’s inauguration — or whether any of them showed Covid-19 symptoms and was put on leave.

Since last week, the Chief Justice himself tested positive for the coronavirus — alongside House Speaker Rodrigo Maia and two members of the Superior Court of Justice. All of them were in last week’s inauguration.

According to weekly magazine Veja, some members of the Supreme Court became irritated by insinuations that the court had become some sort of Covid-19 breeding ground, and anonymously poked at the House Speaker, who, according to one of the justices, “two a huge dinner party on the eve of the inauguration.” 

One justice says the party united most of Brasília’s political jet set — and many of the attendants also contracted the coronavirus.

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Unlike many countries in the Northern Hemisphere, Brazil’s school year coincides with the calendar year. Classes begin in February and end in early December (with a one-month break in July). Schools have been shut in the country’s largest city of São Paulo for six months now. Many São Paulo residents have been wondering if there would be any in-person classes at all this year. The topic remains hotly contested in Brazil.

According to São Paulo Mayor Bruno Covas, the answer is yes. The decision, however, concerns only the municipality of São Paulo — and does not interfere with plans adopted by other municipalities in the Greater São Paulo Area. Sources say the mayor will officially announce his decision today. 

Mr. Covas is expected to allow schools to hold first extra-curricular activities in October, with a full return still under evaluation. In the best-case scenario, in-person classes could possibly return as soon as November.

School reopenings in Latin America

In other countries in the region, classes have resumed in a controlled manner. In Argentina, only the San Juan province — which has recorded only 22 confirmed coronavirus deaths so far — has allowed in-person classes, a decision that affects less than 10,000 students.

Haiti and Cuba have both greenlit school reopenings — although these countries have tackled the pandemic very differently. Haiti has been a “black hole” of data, with little reliable information of the pandemic’s progression. Meanwhile, Cuba has excelled in containing the spread.

Both countries, however, imposed strict sanitary measures, such as the mandatory use of facemasks and social distancing inside classrooms. 

• You should also read: Frustrated reopening in Chile could teach Brazil a lesson

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The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has improved their estimate for the Brazilian GDP in 2020, reducing the expected drop to 6.5 percent in its latest projections from a predicted 7.4-percent plunge in economic activity. 

The organization sees the local economy bouncing back in 2021, but, if confirmed, the 3.6-percent growth estimate is not enough to offset the long term impacts of Covid-19.  

The estimates come on the back of better projections for the global economy as a whole, due to better-than-expected performances from China and the U.S., as well as massive government responses elsewhere. The OECD now predicts the global output to contract by only 4.5 percent this year, before recovering from losses through 5 percent growth in 2021. 

Still, any scenario depends on the pandemic’s development. “If the threat from Covid-19 fades more quickly than expected, improved business and consumer confidence could boost global activity sharply in 2021. But a stronger resurgence of the virus, or more stringent lockdowns are implemented they could cut 2-3 percentage points from global growth in 2021”, OECD warns.

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House Speaker Rodrigo Maia has tested positive for the coronavirus. 

The diagnosis makes the Speaker the fourth person to catch the virus after attending the new Chief Justice Luiz Fux’s inauguration ceremony, last Thursday. Before Mr. Maia, the chief justice himself, as well as two members of the Superior Court of Justice, also confirmed infections.

With Mr. Maia’s and Chief Justice’s Luiz Fux’s infections, Vice President Hamilton Mourão remains the only person in the presidential succession line to not have contracted the coronavirus. Senate President Davi Alcolumbre was infected back in March, while President Jair Bolsonaro said he contracted the virus in July.

This is a developing story.

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Data from the Health Ministry shows that the coronavirus killed more Brazilians than anything else. The deaths caused by Covid-19 outnumbered those caused by cancer, strokes, pneumonia, or heart diseases.

Last month, the sixth since the pandemic arrived in Brazil, Brazil recorded 22,770 coronavirus deaths. This is more than all deaths by strokes and heart attack combined.

Overall, August 2020 registered the highest death tallies for the month since 2014.

According to data from Johns Hopkins University, only the U.S. has recorded more confirmed coronavirus deaths than Brazil (196,000 to 133,000).

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There is no evidence that antimalarial drug chloroquine can help patients beat the coronavirus. Yet, President Jair Bolsonaro touts it as a “possible cure” for Covid-19 — and helped make the medicine became extremely popular in Brazil. Now, even street hawkers are selling it inside trains and public squares. In the Rio de Janeiro subway, a chloroquine tablet could be found for BRL 10 (less than USD 2).

As a comparison, drugstore prices for a box with 30 pills rose 50 percent since the coronavirus arrived in Brazil, according to the Brazilian Association of Lupus and Other Rheumatic Diseases. Mr. Bolsonaro’s favorite medicine is no longer easily found in drugstores — due to heated demand and higher prices — although Brazil’s Defense Ministry reported 1.8 million chloroquine tablets in stock at the Army Laboratory. 

That could serve as a reserve for 18 years, considering the country’s average demand.

Chloroquine trinkets

Besides using the antimalarial drug to beat a virus that still has no cure, people can also gift their relatives with some thematic items, such as a pillow with the same print as a medicine box — or even a mug with a satirical figure of President Bolsonaro. 

The drug will also be on electoral ballots, with joke candidates such as “Captain Chloroquine.” The moniker was adopted by lawyer Regina Célia Sequeira, who runs for city councilor in Rio de Janeiro. Despite being a Bolsonaro supporter, Ms. Sequeira would only take the drug as a “last resort.”

You should also see

• Why is Bolsonaro so keen on chloroquine to treat Covid-19?
• Brazil is paying six times more for chloroquine inputs

According to data from urban violence monitor Fogo Cruzado, the number of women shot dead increased between August and September, when six victims were confirmed. Last month alone accounts for 50 percent of all cases of fatal cases of gender-based violence since isolation measures were first enforced in Brazil, late in March.

Overall violence figures, on the other hand, are on a downward trend: over the past six months, Fogo Cruzado recorded “just” 2,359 shootings in the Greater Rio de Janeiro Area between March and September. Believe it or not, these figures represent a 43-percent drop from the same period last year, when 4,114 shootings were reported.

At least 763 people were injured by bullets in the Greater Rio Area, or which 384 were fatally wounded. As a matter of comparison, the same period in 2019 saw 776 dead and another 737 injured. 

You should also read:

• Brazil launches app for online domestic abuse reports
• Femicide jumps 22.2 percent during quarantine in Brazil
• Covid-19 quarantines cause domestic violence spike in Brazil

The expansion of Butantan Biological Institute’s Covid-19 vaccine factory is on schedule: construction will start in November, São Paulo Governor João Doria announced on Monday. Mr. Doria also expressed that the project will cost around BRL 160 million, of which BRL 97 million (more than 60 percent) has already been raised in a state partnership with the private sector. However, the investment won’t be used for the creation of a new research facility, but to offer a new, modern structure to the existing institute, which is part of the University of São Paulo (USP). 

The race for a vaccine

The CoronaVac, a vaccine developed alongside the Chinese laboratory Sinovac Biotech, should be delivered in H2 2021. The new structure expected in the Butantan Institutecould produce up to 100 million doses of the medicine per year, including other types of vaccines for other future medical campaigns. 

The director of the Institute, Dimas Covas, said the facility should be completed by the end of 2021, allowing the site to operate “at full capacity” in 2022.

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