COVID-19: lessons from Brazil

Brazil did not have a good time of it during the COVID-19 pandemic and it had one of the highest death rates in the world, accounting for >700 000 deaths, with large social inequalities in mortality rates. There were also some remarkable events, including the ravaging of an area of the Amazon by COVID-19 infections that ripped through the population with little resistance. On the other hand, Brazil excelled in COVID-19 research, including the aforementioned Amazon studies, a number of studies of vaccine effectiveness and safety, and many others. There is therefore much that we can learn from the Brazilian experience and in comparisons with other countries. In this issue of the Journal are published four further important contributions to the COVID-19 Brazilian literature. The papers are too broad-ranging to attempt a comprehensive summary here. Rather, we will comment on a few key themes that emerge.