August 8th could have been just another average Saturday, yet will forever be remembered as the tragic date that Brazil officially reached 100,000 deaths due to COVID-19. We recognize this number is an undercount of the true number of deaths which are a direct result of a dangerous, incompetent, and immoral government.
Brazilian citizens are suffering from political chaos, an economic crisis, and a global pandemic. Brazil’s Afro-descendant and Indigenous populations have especially suffered as they have died at higher rates.
We must remember that this tragic number of deaths was preventable. President Jair Bolsonaro is to blame. He deliberately diminished the harmful impact of the virus, boycotted face masks, and attended public events. As Brazil has reached 100,000 deaths, the country still does not have a proper Health Minister after Bolsonaro fired two Ministers in a row.
A country’s well-being depends on its population’s health, its happiness, its prosperity and democracy. Sadly, Bolsonaro has not ensured any of these things for Brazil. We must work to find a cure for COVID-19 but we must also work to find a cure for the harmful and dangerous impact of the Bolsonaro administration on Brazilian citizens.
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