Hospitalization, mortality and public healthcare expenditure in Brazil during the COVID-19 crisis: vulnerabilities in the spotlight

Abstract

INTRODUCTIONEver since 2020 began, governments worldwide have been implementing community, economic and health-related policies to tackle the hurdles resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. 1,2 These have included financial support packages to encourage investment and maintenance of local business, expanded and strengthened public healthcare and reasonable financial relief programs to socioeconomically vulnerable individuals. [3][4][5][6] However, going against the global trends of continuous health and socioeconomic support to families and individuals experiencing any coronavirus-related impact, recent Brazilian government decisions have negatively affected millions of lives, particularly in impoverished macroregions. [7][8][9][10] Over the last months, several reports in the popular media and editorials have reported on the anti-science discourse and anti-life decisions taken by the Brazilian government leader. [11][12][13][14][15] These decisions included cessation or reduction of the "Emergency Benefit". This has raised poverty and has forcibly led vulnerable individuals to suspend their social distancing measures.Moreover, divisive rhetoric that has exacerbated economic inequality and the caregiving crisis in Brazil has been disseminated. 16,17 Nevertheless, to the extent of our knowledge, no previous reports have combined financial and health-related data from multiple public datasets to analyze the potential effects of decision-makers' measures on general health. Thus, this study outlines, evaluates and combines data from public

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) Analysis of the Implementation of Public Health Policies on HTLV-1 in Brazil

“…The pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 disrupted the health care system in every country worldwide ( 42 ). In Brazil, this was no different ( 43 ). Preparedness was not enough to face such an explosive epidemic in the country ( 44 ).…”

Nanotechnology meets immunology towards a rapid diagnosis solution: the COVID-19 outbreak challenge

“…4,5 In this scenario, Brazil was considered particularly highly vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic because all government levels were not integrated, and they have not promptly adopted strict public health restrictions, which was aggravated by its continental dimension and the enormous socioeconomic asymmetry. 6–8…”