The covid-19 crisis in America and Brazil is beset by political and social discord
Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
The coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis is witnessing the divisions that exist in America and Brazil. Hence, while the United Kingdom is dealing with the coronavirus crisis abysmally, political and social cohesion remains despite discontent. However, in America and Brazil, both nations look disjointed.
At a time when unity is needed the opposite is happening. This is only exacerbating daily infections. Sadly, America will soon witness 100,000 deaths and Brazil is currently 22,000 and probably higher.
The death toll alone is misleading. For example, deaths per million are the United Kingdom 541, Italy 541, France 434, Sweden 396, Ireland 325, America 281, Canada 169, Ecuador 176, Brazil 104, Iran 88, Russian Federation 23, and Japan 6. Belgium is the highest with 797 but this nation counts all deaths related to covid-19, unlike other nations.
Also, nations including Italy and the United Kingdom haven’t currently counted all deaths. Likewise, in the United Kingdom the death rate will continue to increase. The same applies to America and Brazil.
Deaths per million are also higher in Ecuador because the government admits that many deaths haven’t been counted. Yet deaths per million gives a more accurate account of what is happening rather than the death toll by itself.
Despite this, the majority of the above-named nations are near the end of their first coronavirus crisis. This doesn’t apply to America, Brazil, Ecuador, and the Russian Federation. Equally, the death toll remains relatively low in the Russian Federation despite infections being high. Therefore, one can only expect more infections and deaths in America and Brazil.
President Trump and the Democrat leaders of New York all showed enormous complacency in the early period. Meanwhile, in Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro is still downplaying the covid-19 crisis. At the same time, issues related to economics, social freedom, two different political mindsets, unemployment, poverty, and other serious issues, is furthering political and social divisions in America and Brazil.
The response appears chaotic and disjointed. Hence in the last 24 hours America witnessed another 21,902 infections and Brazil 16,508. This is extremely high and indicates the chaotic nature of what is happening.
For example, one politician supports the lockdown but another politician wants to open up. Similarly, the leader of Brazil is blasé about the crisis and deems the economy to be the most important angle.
For people blighted by poverty their options are limited unlike wealthier people. Meanwhile, two sides of the political coin in America and Brazil view the lockdown under two very different nuances.
One mindset is that the lockdown will protect wider society and is necessary to stem infections and death. The other mindset deems the lockdown under the prism of authoritarianism, preventing people to work, destroying livelihoods, and causing death by stealth.
People in the middle ground are alarmed by the growing political and social divisions. For outsiders, while respecting different mindsets, it just looks chaotic. Therefore, in the short-term infections and deaths will continue based on the lack of unity in America and Brazil.
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