Brazil's COVID-19 response
Authors: Luiz Vicente Rizzo, Nelson Wolosker
Journal: The Lancet (2020)

As physicians and scientists, the COVID-19 pandemic has been disheartening; first and foremost, for the lives lost to the disease and, second, because of the mistreatment of science and evidence-based medicine.1Zagury-Orly I Schwartzstein RM Covid-19—a reminder to reason.N Engl J Med. 2020; 383: e12Crossref PubMed Scopus (87) Google Scholar In the lay media, which is the right environment to discuss and understand politics, we have observed pseudoscience. If that was not enough, we have also dealt with The Lancet2The LancetCOVID-19 in Brazil: "So what?".Lancet. 2020; 3951461Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (337) Google Scholar embarking on commentaries that have nothing to do with science but pseudopolitics. The zealots might rest. The purpose of this Correspondence is not to defend the Swedish policy of avoiding confinement against COVID-19, or the indefensible president of Brazil. Because, despite the misguided rhetoric of its ruler, Brazil is not doing so poorly when compared with other countries. With its continental size, shameful income distribution, and a historically poor education record, the mortality rate in Brazil is no worse than that of high-income countries. Political problems in Brazil are complex and were treated superficially and inappropriately in the Editorial2The LancetCOVID-19 in Brazil: "So what?".Lancet. 2020; 3951461Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (337) Google Scholar about Brazil's response to COVID-19. When The Lancet publishes a research article, no scientist doubts the veracity of the data and their interpretations. The Editors of The Lancet should focus their Editorials on the scientific and health-care aspects of this sanitary crisis. Otherwise, if the prestigious journal remains interested in dwelling in the territory of politics, it would be wise to use scientific methods—instead of relying on superficial data—to avoid becoming a propeller for pseudopolitics as much as the lay media has become one for pseudoscience. We declare no competing interests. COVID-19 in Brazil: "So what?"The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic reached Latin America later than other continents. The first case recorded in Brazil was on Feb 25, 2020. But now, Brazil has the most cases and deaths in Latin America (105 222 cases and 7288 deaths as of May 4), and these are probably substantial underestimates. Even more worryingly, the doubling of the rate of deaths is estimated at only 5 days and a recent study by Imperial College (London, UK), which analysed the active transmission rate of COVID-19 in 48 countries, showed that Brazil is the country with the highest rate of transmission (R0 of 2·81). Full-Text PDF Brazil's COVID-19 responsePartisan politics during the COVID-19 pandemic has hindered any efforts of working together with science for the greater good of Brazil. As a Brazilian who values life, I do not know what scares me more: contracting COVID-19, or Bolsonaro's Government trying to belittle the disease, forcing us out of the door to confront it, even when they know that we have not done enough as a country to make it safe for us to do so. Although COVID-19 is showing us all that we still have a long way to go to overcome this crisis, which, at the time of writing, has killed approximately 1000 people a day over the past 3 months, the more disheartening thought is that this government does not seem to care one way or another whether people are dying or not. Full-Text PDF Brazil's COVID-19 responseThe Editorial1 about Brazil's response to COVID-19 has caused heated debate among physicians working on the Brazilian health-care frontline against COVID-19 about whether or not there is a place for politics in a high-impact medical journal. Full-Text PDF Brazil's COVID-19 responseWe read with interest the Editorial1 about Brazil's response to COVID-19. As Brazilian scientists, we would like to express major concerns about the multiple crises that our country is facing. Full-Text PDF Brazil's COVID-19 responseIt was disappointing to read the Editorial1 about Brazil's response to COVID-19, criticising the Brazilian president who "discourag[ed] the sensible measures of physical distancing and lockdown". Yes, he insisted that lockdown is ineffective and terrible for the economy. Full-Text PDF