RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazil’s Vice President Hamilton Mourão attributed the high number of deaths from Covid-19 in Brazil to “socioeconomic inequality”. He said he was optimistic about the progress of vaccination and argued that the pace in the country “is in line with the rest of the world.”
Mourão was asked about the pace of vaccination in the country, which is considered slow, and cited “calculations” about the number of lives that could have been saved. But he defended the government by saying that “there are no vaccines that can be delivered on time.”
Mourão also commented on the protests against the government and President Bolsonaro that gained volume last Saturday, reaching 400 cities. He said it was something that “is part of democracy” but criticized the crowds.
“There are people who don’t like our government, who are against it, who are in opposition. That’s part of the democratic system,” he said. “Now, at protests, it’s usually a scrum, right? It’s a risk that these people have submitted to. It’s no use saying they all wore masks. Even if you wear a mask, you’re still exposed to all the problems that this disease can cause.”