Brazil pulls all coronavirus stats, then releases incompatible numbers

Enlarge / For Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, shown here without a face mask, public health precautions are for other people. (credit: EVARISTO SA / Getty Images)

Outside of the United States, Brazil has the largest number of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections; it's behind only the US and UK in terms of confirmed COVID-caused deaths. Meanwhile, its leader, President Jair Bolsonaro, has frequently minimized the risks posed by the pandemic and has frequently been photographed taking minimal precautions-going without a face mask and hugging supporters.

Complicating his country's policy response, Bolsonaro has also fired his health minister in the midst of the pandemic, only to see his replacement quit after a month on the job.

All of that took place, however, against a backdrop of detailed data about the known extent of the COVID-19 pandemic within the country, allowing Bolsonaro's public proclamations to be tested against the facts. Over the weekend, however, all of that data was taken down from government websites. After a brief hiatus, it was replaced by a simple tally of cases and deaths-only to see that replaced by a different set of numbers shortly afterward.

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