The Brazilian COVID-19 Response

The Brazilian COVID-19 response has been marked by high death numbers, misinformation coming from the highest levels of government, disparities in access to health services for indigenous populations, and shortages of essential health technologies. At time of publication of this report, Brazil has recorded more than 6.1 million COVID-19 cases with nearly 170,000 official registered deaths, making it the second country in the world in terms of both the most COVID-19 cases and deaths.

The objective of this report was to conduct an in-depth examination of key features of the Brazilian response from January 2020 through to August 2020, drawing upon the testimony of clinicians, public health specialists, civil society indigenous rights groups, data from government portals, mass media, academic literature, as well as insights into strategies by Ministries of Health, governors, and mayors of selected cities and states. The report also looked into relevant actions by country leaders and initiatives by the judiciary, notably the Brazilian Supreme Court (STF per its Portuguese acronym) in the COVID-19 response. This is an account of coordination failure, data suppression, and corporate philanthropy.