How Brazil Became The Epicenter Of COVID-19

How Brazil Became The Epicenter Of COVID-19

WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.
Brazil recorded its first death from COVID-19 on March 17th and by mid-June the country was the world leader in daily deaths. Overall, Brazil is only behind the United States both in the number of cases and deaths due to coronavirus. But Jair Bolsonaro, the country’s right-wing nationalist president, continues to be dismissive about the threat posed by the virus. In this episode, we find out why Brazil, one of the largest economies in the world and a nation often in the forefront of innovative public health treatments, has failed to combat the pandemic.