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Brazil Reports Record Virus Count as Second Health Chief Leaves

Brazil Loses Second Health Minister Amid Pandemic

(Bloomberg) -- Brazil reported a new daily record for coronavirus cases hours after Jair Bolsonaro lost his second health minister in under a month as the president’s reopen-at-all-costs stance alienates the medical community and deepens a political clash with state governors.

Nelson Teich, who took over the post in April after Bolsonaro fired his predecessor amid public discord over social distancing, quit Friday after just 29 days on the job. The health ministry gave no details on who will replace him.

“Life is made of choices, and I chose to leave,” he said in a brief statement to press this afternoon. The now ex-minister made no comments on the reason for his departure, and thanked Bolsonaro for the opportunity. “I gave it my best.”

Brazil reported a record 15,305 new coronavirus cases on Friday, bringing the total to 218,223 and solidifying Brazil as the new global hotspot for the disease.

Teich grew frustrated with clashes between local governments and the president, as well as an overall lack of freedom to do his job, two people familiar with the matter said. Bolsonaro had been pressuring his health chief to recommend the widespread use of the malaria drug chloroquine and demanded that Teich change the Health Ministry’s protocol to allow its use in mild cases during a meeting Friday morning, one of the people said, asking not to be named because the discussions were private. Teich declined, sealing his exit from the post, the person said.

The departure is all the more shocking because Teich, in his first speech as the government’s top doctor on April 16, said he and the president were on “the same page” about the need to reopen the economy. But signs of strain between the two started percolating this week when Teich was caught off guard as reporters informed him about a surprise Bolsonaro edict ordering gyms, beauty salons and barbershops to reopen. “It didn’t go through the ministry,” Teich said.

“You knew this was coming after Bolsonaro started opening up parts of the country without his input,” said Win Thin, a strategist at Brown Brothers Harriman. “Quite frankly, who would take the job now?”

Brazil Reports Record Virus Count as Second Health Chief Leaves

Teich told senators in an April 29 briefing that there were still too many “uncertainties” surrounding use of chloroquine. “You have some initial studies suggesting there are benefits, but others show the opposite,” he said. A University of York-trained oncologist with a background in business, Teich previously founded a network of clinics and also started a research institute, according to his LinkedIn page.

A request for comment from Bolsonaro’s press office wasn’t returned.

Throughout the pandemic, Bolsonaro has minimized the seriousness of the respiratory illness and argued that lockdowns threaten to do more harm than good in a nation whose economy has been struggling for years. While some state governors have taken the lead in ordering various levels of isolation and closures, the national case count is surging. About 14,800 Brazilians have died so far.

Brazil Reports Record Virus Count as Second Health Chief Leaves

“This is a complete disaster,” said Miguel Lago, head of the Institute of Health Policy Studies, a Rio de Janeiro-based based think tank. Brazil’s three key challenges are expanding health infrastructure, protecting health professionals and flattening the curve, he said. “For all that you need command and control, clear messages, clear policies.”

News of the exit rattled markets as traders fretted over new political turbulence. The Ibovespa stock benchmark fell 1.8%, while the currency reversed earlier gains and dropped 0.7% in Sao Paulo. The real is the world’s worst performing currency this year with a 31% decline.

“How can the market invest in a nation that does this?” asked Andre Cesar, a political analyst from Hold Consultoria.

With most Brazilians backing social distancing guidelines, Bolsonaro’s popularity is suffering, according to a MDA/CNT poll that interviewed 2,002 people between May 7-10. The survey showed the president’s personal approval rating dropping 9 percentage points from the beginning of the year to 39%, and his disapproval rating hitting 55%.

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