Журнал. World association for medical law. The COVID-19 pandemic. Volume 39 2

153 World Association for Medical Law Medicine and Law BRAZILIAN REPORT ON THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS: A CLASH OF PANDEMICS Eduardo Dantas 1 Abstract: The outbreak of the COVID-19 hit Brazil, weeks after Asia and Europe, but the country did not adequately prepare to fight the pandemic. As a result of many mistakes, it has now the second largest number of victims on the planet. This article aims to briefly analyze the reasons for the failure in dealing with the sanitary crisis. Keywords: Covid-19; Pandemic; Social Inequality; Political interference Although in different forms and severity, the whole world was taken by surprise with the Covid-19 pandemic. What seemed to be just another seasonal disease rapidly spread across the planet, shutting down entire cities, countries, creating an unimaginable scenario, implausible even for the most prolific science- fiction writer. A new, highly contagious disease, potentially fatal, coming from a virus that no scientist could understand, and with no viable protocols established. No one could predict a world with no flights, no schools, no businesses, with empty cities in lockdown, while the body count skyrocketed everyday in front of the common citizen´s television screens. This scenario affected the entire world and produced enormous sacrifices from every citizen. Desperate times demanded desperate measures, while mankind rediscovered the notion that public health was the real essential activity to enable survival of the world as we knew. 1 Lawyer, licensed to practice in Brazil and Portugal, specialist in Consumer Law by the University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. LL.M. in Medical Law by the University of Glasgow, Scotland. PhD candidate in Civil Lawt at the University of Coimbra, Portugal. Member of the Board of Governors of the World Association for Medical Law. Email: eduardodantas@eduardodantas.adv.br Med Law (2020) 39:2:153-160