Thursday, April 2, 2020

An Irrational Mind Meets Coronavirus

A favela in Brazil


The New York Times reports that Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil's president, has called the virus a “measly cold.” He is the last major world leader who questions lockdown measures. The NYT writes
“RIO DE JANEIRO — As coronavirus cases and deaths mount in Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro has remained defiant, the last notable holdout among major world leaders in denying the severity of the coronavirus. 
Brazilians, he declared last week, are uniquely suited to weather the pandemic because they can be dunked in raw sewage and “don’t catch a thing.” 
Defying guidelines issued by his own health ministry, the president on Sunday visited a busy commercial district in Brasília, the capital, where he called on all but elderly Brazilians to get back to work. 
Then he insisted that an anti-malaria pill of unproved efficacy would cure those who fall ill with the virus that has killed more than 43,000 people worldwide.”

It will be interesting and sad to see how the virus will ravage a country that doesn't even try to deal with it. The US is projecting up to 240,000 deaths if containment measures are strictly adhered to. With no containment measures Brazil is probably going to experience the collapse of its health care system and several million deaths. The next 3-4 weeks will be instructive.





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