Brazil's virtually uncontrolled and unaddressed coronavirus surge continues to fuel fear among citizens as the country's health officials record hundreds of burials daily.

Manaus Mayor Artur Vigilio called the country's pandemic situation as scenes from a horror movie. The city reported more than 100 burials a day in April, forcing authorities to conduct mass graves in improvised cemeteries. Virgilio believes his city is now under a state of utter chaos, saying it is in a war that is already lost.

The city's health care system has already collapsed. There are no more available bed spaces in intensive-care units. Doctors are also forced to leave hundreds of people untreated.

The victims are all buried collectively, leaving relatives wondering whether or not their loved one was among those buried. Corpses are stacked on top of each other in the graves. Their official causes of death are often listed as unknown or severe acute respiratory failure. Experts believe the situation is leading to a massive under-count of COVID-19 cases and deaths.

Brazil's government reported 118 coronavirus-related fatalities from April 21 and April 28 in Manaus. However, there were more than 200 people buried that same week. The bodies were put in graves without a determined cause of death. Over 395 other victims also died due to respiratory failure or suspected COVID-19.

According to one model, the city may see 4,200 burials by the end of May.


Turn for the Worse

Conditions in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are not as dire as Manaus'. Experts believe the country could face a surge similar or worse to those devastated by the virus, including the United States and Italy. As of Sunday, Brazilian health officials recorded 97,100 cases and 6,761 deaths, making it the ninth hardest-hit country in the world.

Edmar Santos, Rio's secretary of health, believes the nation's health care system could happen this month. He cites the thousands of people waiting to be given proper medical attention, with more than 361 in critical conditions.

Brazil's borders remain open despite sharing borders with nearly every other country in South America. There are no quarantines or curfews in the country. Testing is also limited, raising concerns over the real number of deaths and infections in the country.

The government is weighing a possible nationwide stay-at-home policy. However, getting people to follow the social distancing guidelines is proving to be difficult.


"What do you want me to do?"

Brazil's president, Jair Bolsonaro, has continuously sabotaged state and local governments' efforts to curb the virus. He recently fired his health minister, who defended the shelter-in-place measures.

Bolsonaro believes the media and the opposition are creating a hysteria using the COVID-19 pandemic. A reporter recently asked the president about the country's rising death toll, prompting him to say: "So what? What do you want me to do?"

While many in the medical community expressed outrage at his lack of empathy, his supporters are following his lead. A study conducted by an independent organization showed many of Bolsonaro's supporters violated social isolation protocols following his speeches, where he repeatedly dismissed the threat of the virus.

In answer to the backlash he faced, he falsely accused the World Health Organization of encouraging same-sex relationships and urging children to commit sexual acts as a reason to justify ignoring the federal health organization's advice about the coronavirus pandemic.


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