Covid CPI: Brazil’s Minister of Health tries to justify Bolsonaro’s beliefs

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazil’s Minister of Health, Marcelo Queiroga, cornered by opposition senators, tried to justify President Jair Bolsonaro’s beliefs in the face of Covid-19 but admitted that social distancing “would be necessary” until the vaccination process is concluded.

Queiroga, the fourth head of the Health portfolio since the pandemic broke out in Brazil, which is approaching 415,000 deaths due to coronavirus, appeared Thursday before a special Senate committee investigating possible government omissions in the face of the current health crisis.

The minister was questioned by the senators, mostly from the opposition, about Bolsonaro’s statements minimizing the impact of the pandemic and about the president’s criticism of face masks and measures restricting the movement of people.

Again and again, Queiroga repeated that, as a minister, he is not in a position to “make value judgments” or censure the “personal opinions” of the president, but stressed that the Ministry of Health is committed to the search for vaccines and the promotion of “non-pharmacological measures” to contain contagions.

“My role is not to criticize the president or other ministers,” but to try to “use my ability to convince all Brazilians to join us” and “maintain the necessary care,” he said.

CONFINEMENTS ONLY IN “EXTREME SITUATIONS”

About possible confinements or the restrictions that Bolsonaro rejects, the minister acknowledged that “those extreme measures can be applied in specific situations in some municipality”, but ruled out that they can be imposed at the national level, in a country with 210 million inhabitants and the geographical extension of Brazil.

Even so, he stressed that this type of restriction “does not have the adherence of the entire population”, so it is advisable to encourage social distancing and the use of masks and alcohol gel.

Queiroga also said he was “unaware” of Bolsonaro’s intention to issue a decree to prohibit the suspension of activities in the face of the advance of the virus and stressed that such measures could be, from his point of view, adopted in “specific cases”.

In this context, the minister insisted that, even though the pandemic curve has been reduced in the last few weeks, both in the number of deaths and cases, “it is not the time to relax” but to accentuate all precautions to avoid a new outbreak.

VACCINES, CHLOROQUINE AND CHINA’S “CHEMICAL WARFARE”

Queiroga insisted that the “only” effective formula against the pandemic is a “massive vaccination” and acknowledged that the antidotes arrive in the country in dribs and drabs, although he claimed that the process will advance more quickly in the second half of this year.

He also clarified that, for the moment, Brazil has contracted with several laboratories a total of 430 million doses for this year, and not 560 million as the Government claimed until now.

He was also asked about Bolsonaro’s pressures for the use of chloroquine and other drugs of dubious efficacy against Covid-19 and said that this matter is being studied by the Ministry of Health, which in the coming weeks will publish a protocol on this issue, which he considered “controversial”.

According to Queiroga, there are contradictions in the scientific community on this issue. His “obligation” as minister is to try to find a “consensus”, which should be reflected in this protocol.

The opposition also pressed on a controversial statement given by Bolsonaro, who again insinuated that Covid-19 could have been born “in a laboratory” and be part of an alleged “chemical war” promoted by China.

“I am unaware of indications that there is a ‘chemical war,'” declared Queiroga, who limited himself to saying that relations with China are “excellent” in the area of health and acknowledged Brazil’s dependence on medical supplies and vaccines produced by the Asian power.