Brazil takes down COVID-19 data, hiding soaring death toll

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

WORLD NEWS JUNE 6, 2020 / 12:03 PM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO

Brazil takes down COVID-19 data, hiding soaring death toll

Ana Mano
3 MIN READ

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil removed from public view months of data on its COVID-19 epidemic on Saturday, as President Jair Bolsonaro defended delays and changes to official record-keeping of the world’s second-largest coronavirus outbreak.

Brazil’s Health Ministry removed the data from a website that had documented the epidemic over time and by state and municipality. The ministry also stopped giving a total count of confirmed cases, which have shot past 672,000 – more than anywhere outside the United States – or a total death toll, which passed Italy this week, nearing 36,000 by Saturday.

“The cumulative data ... does not reflect the moment the country is in,” Bolsonaro said on Twitter, citing a note from the ministry. “Other actions are underway to improve the reporting of cases and confirmation of diagnoses.”

Bolsonaro has played down the dangers of the pandemic, replaced medical experts in the Health Ministry with military officials and argued against state lockdowns to fight the virus, hobbling the country’s public health response.

Neither Bolsonaro nor the ministry gave a reason for erasing most of the data on the covid.saude.gov.br website, which had been a key public resource for tracking the pandemic. The page was taken down on Friday and reloaded Saturday with a new layout and just a fraction of the data, reflecting only deaths, cases and recoveries within the last 24 hours.

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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-brazil/brazil-takes-down-covid-19-data-hiding-soaring-death-toll-idUSKBN23D0PW

[Judi Lynn]

1. Deceitful, hateful, opportunistic grifters, both Bolsonaro and Trump.

Remember the tourist ship with sick travelers which needed to get them to hospitals which Trump wanted to keep offshore so his numbers would remain low at the onset of this catastrophic pandemic.

We can't shame them, they don't care.

Thanks for the important news. Bolsonaro (and Trump) needs to be outed daily.

[keithbvadu2]

2. Brazil? You're sure they don't mean Florida?

Brazil?

You're sure they don't mean Florida?

[CountAllVotes]

3. You beat me to it!

I was going to post, "You meant the USA"?

As the deaths continue to spike out of control, the numbers are being hidden.

There will be so many more deaths it sickens me.

The lies MUST STOP NOW!

It is the goal to off the lot of us I am convinced!

Why? Its all about money and hiding the crimes of these thugs!

[Blue_Tires]

4. Greenwald was unavailable for comment...