Stop ‘whining’ and move on, Bolsonaro urges Brazilians
BRASILIA: After two straight days of record COVID-19 deaths in Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro told Brazilians to stop “whining” and move on, in his latest remarks attacking distancing measures and downplaying the gravity of the pandemic.
Brazil has the world’s second-highest death toll over the past year, after the United States. While the US outbreak is ebbing, Brazil is facing its worst phase of the epidemic yet, pushing its hospital system to the brink of collapse.
“Enough fussing and whining. How much longer will the crying go on?” Bolsonaro told a crowd at an event. “How much longer will you stay at home and close everything? No one can stand it anymore. We regret the deaths, again, but we need a solution.”
The Health Ministry registered 75,102 additional cases of coronavirus on Thursday, the most in a single day since July and the secondhighest on record. Brazil also recorded 1,699, decreasing slightly from the previous two days of record deaths.
Brazil’s surging second wave has triggered new restrictions in its capital, Brasilia, and its largest city, Sao Paulo. Tourist mecca Rio de Janeiro on Thursday announced a city-wide curfew and early closing time for restaurants.
The federal government has been slow to purchase and distribute vaccines, with less than 3.5% of the population having gotten one shot.
The government is working to obtain additional vaccines from more suppliers. The health ministry is negotiating to buy 2 million additional Pfizer doses by May, 16.9 million Janssen doses by September and 63 million doses of the Moderna vaccine by January 2022, according to documents.
Particularly worrying to health authorities is the emergence of a new coronavirus variant from the Amazon region that appears more contagious and more able to reinfect those who have already had COVID-19.
Government-affiliated medical institute Fiocruz said that it has detected the Amazon, United Kingdom and South African variants spreading in various places across the country.