Five years ago, the Covid-19 epidemic swept across the world. Quickly reached, Brazil was, with its 714,000 victims, the second country most affected in total number, in particular because of the excesses and the denialist policy led by Jair Bolsonaro. Today, the virus continues to kill: 6,000 people in 2024, a figure significantly down compared to last year, but Covid still threatens the most vulnerable, while the country tries to learn from the mistakes of the past .
In the heart of the immense Maré favela complex, Valdirene Militão has a heavy heart. The years pass, but are not enough to make him forget the pain of serial bereavements. “Every day, I learned that someone had just died. Once, five neighbors died in a single day, he remembers. But the most difficult moment was learning of the death of my brother-in-law, then that of my best friend.”
Nor the chagrin of Valdirene Militãonor the summer humidity dampens the bustle of the favela streets. In one of them, a tiled wall, built at the initiative of the NGO Redes da Maré in 2021, pays tribute to the local victims of Covid-19. Valdirene Militão emphasizes the importance of remembering: “If we don’t remember our past, we have no future. For a moment, we had crazy people in power telling us not to vaccinate! That’s why it’s very important to build this new memorial.” Indeed, another monument, more imposing and for all the victims of Covid must see the light of day along the immense avenue which borders the favela. But despite the participation of residents, and this time the support of the State, the project fell far behind schedule.
Douglas Oliveira is sure that his poem will be found at one point or another on this monument. With the NGO Redes da Maré, Douglas Oliveira has been very involved during the pandemic. He retains the mutual aid work within the community. “Even though it was a completely new challenge for humanity, we did what we have always done in the favela, that is to say, try to find solutions to the problems that impose themselves on us, he said. In the event of a new pandemic, I think we will now have a good basis for providing inventive solutions.”
Experience, but also more efficient and cheaper technologies to monitor viruses, is what allows Pablo Ramos, professor at Fiocruz, a research institute linked to the government, to affirm that the country is now better prepared. “Beyond tragedies, all major health events bring their share of lessons and reflections, notes the professor. For example, we are developing a system capable of anticipating new epidemics of respiratory syndrome by three to four weeks, thanks to the weekly analysis of a huge database which lists millions of medical consultations throughout the country.”
However, despite the stated will of Luiz Inacio’s government Lula da Silva to take health threats seriously, vaccine distribution problems persist. Above all, the country still does not have specific legislation in the event of a new health crisis and therefore remains at the mercy of political trends.
