Fired by Bolsonaro, Ex-Health Chief Has Grim Warning for Brazil

(Bloomberg) -- Three months after he was fired as Brazil’s health minister, Luiz Henrique Mandetta’s worst fear is coming true.

Brazil on Tuesday reported almost 68,000 new Covid-19 cases, an all-time high that eclipses the previous record by more than 20% and rivals the numbers seen in the U.S., whose population is 50% bigger.

Mandetta, who pushed for fast and quick quarantines early in the pandemic, was fired in mid-April after publicly sparring with his jobs-first boss, President Jair Bolsonaro. In an interview on Tuesday, the 55-year-old doctor slammed Brazil’s handling of the crisis and said it’s only a matter of weeks before deaths blow past 100,000.

“What we’re seeing is a scientific mess, without anyone who has credibility to come out and say what has to be done in Brazil,” Mandetta said from his home state of Mato Grosso do Sul. “The Health Ministry and the federal government have abandoned the subject.”

Latin America’s largest economy has been without a health minister since May 15, when Mandetta’s replacement refused to issue a blanket blessing on the use of chloroquine and quit after just 29 days on the job. Sitting in on an interim basis is General Eduardo Pazuello, who has no medical experience and is one of the many military men who make up Bolsonaro’s administration.

Some 82,770 people in Brazil have died from the deadly coronavirus, while 2.23 million have been infected. Active cases stand at about 613,000. While the Health Ministry hasn’t commented on Tuesday’s increase, there are indications the record may include a backlog in new cases after Sao Paulo state said it had problems with the reporting system, news website G1 reported. Bolsonaro’s press office declined to comment for this article.

The president’s resolve for using chloroquine has strengthened after he himself was diagnosed with the virus on July 7. He has repeatedly said he feels fine and even popped a pill of the controversial malaria drug during a live-stream video on Facebook. He took a third test this week that showed he’s still infected.

Bolsonaro has been unabashed in arguing against lockdowns in favor of keeping the economy open -- and he has his reasons. Heading into the pandemic, Brazil’s economy was still struggling to gain momentum after a crushing recession. In 2019, the country logged its fourth straight year of unemployment above 10%. And with so many Brazilians working gig jobs, even watered-down quarantines put in place by some governors and mayors failed to do much to dent the spread of the coronavirus.

Even so, Mandetta and the global health community say Bolsonaro could have done much more to minimize the outbreak and save lives.

“When you see the nation’s leader on TV saying that wearing a mask is stupid, people really don’t think there’s a problem,” Mandetta said. “He becomes almost a macabre alibi.”

Read More: The Pandemic’s Worst-Case Scenario Is Unfolding in Brazil

Elsewhere in Latin America:

• Buenos Aires, Argentina’s largest and most province, is paying its citizens a daily stipend to isolate in designated government facilities. The province aims to cut the coronavirus transmission chain after becoming the epicenter of the pandemic in Argentina.
• Mexico and China led a virtual meeting with representatives from Latin America and the Caribbean to consolidate cooperation in fighting the pandemic. China Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Latin American counterparts a vaccine developed in his country would have universal access, according to a statement.
• Chile’s Senate passed a bill allowing early pension withdrawals amid the coronavirus pandemic, striking a blow against the already weakened administration of President Sebastian Pinera, which had opposed the legislation.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.