Brasilia. As soon as Brazil’s ex-President Lula da Silva reappears on the political stage after a controversial corruption verdict against him has been repealed, he spreads broadsides against right-wing populist incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, who was overwhelmed by the corona pandemic: “Do not follow the insane decisions of the President of the Republic or the Minister of Health: Get vaccinated, ”said Lula da Silva, trying to position himself as an alternative to Bolsonaro.
The incumbent had recently warned against vaccination doses due to a lack of liability by the pharmaceutical industry and rejected breathing masks. However, Lula herself traveled to Cuba a few weeks ago – contrary to the general contact recommendations of the doctors. He was promptly diagnosed with an infection.
Lula da Silva and Bolsonaro: a foretaste of the election campaign
The political trial of strength between Lula da Silva and Bolsonaro is a foretaste of the 2022 election campaign. The left-wing politician is considered one of Bolsonaro’s most promising rivals, even if he has not yet announced his official candidacy.
Bolsonaro is now in the middle of the worst corona situation since the beginning of the pandemic, the further course of which will ultimately determine the president’s further political career. On Wednesday, 2,349 people died in just 24 hours, a new record.
A further 80,955 new infections in the last 24 hours will worsen the situation, with the majority of states already reporting a load on intensive care beds of over 80 percent. The “Metropoles” portal reported that three Brazilian states were among the deadliest regions in the world on Thursday if they were independent nation states: the Amazon with 2706 deaths per million inhabitants, Rio de Janeiro (1951) and Roraima (1905).
At least in the Amazon and Rio de Janeiro, the number of infections has been falling again for a few days. The vaccination campaign is also furthest advanced in the state of Amazonas.
Many hospitals overcrowded
Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello, the third since the outbreak of the pandemic, tried to calm his compatriots with a video on Thursday. The health system is heavily burdened, “but it does not collapse and it will not collapse,” said Pazuello, while numerous hospitals in the country have been overcrowded for weeks.
However, this is more hope than reality, not a few experts see Brazil soon heading towards daily death rates of 3000 cases in just one day. The really big dying only started a few days ago in Brazil.
In addition, there is great fear that the large number of new infections could lead to the formation of further virus mutations whose danger is unpredictable. The daily newspaper “O Estado” reported that two cities from the state of Sao Paulo, which followed Bolsonaro’s recommendations and lifted the easing prematurely, are now experiencing real tragedies. In Bauru, Mayor Suellen Rosim was one of the people who played down the corona.
The result: the intensive care beds are used to 106 percent capacity. And the beaches in Praia Grande remained open, here the number of infections rose by 40 percent compared to the previous year. In the meantime, Bolsonaro seems to have understood that not only human life but also his political future is at stake, and finally gave the green light to order more vaccines.
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