Denialism takes lives and is costly.

One of the worst governments Brazil has ever had, Bolsonaro is remembered for the complete destruction of the country and its public policies. He was against education, minorities, labor rights, against the people. And with health and science, it was no different. At the beginning of the pandemic, he held back the purchase of vaccines for as long as he could. And when he finally bought the immunizations, he did not implement an effective campaign to get the population vaccinated.

Quite the contrary, he was negligent and, whenever he could, tried to make the population disbelieve in the effectiveness of vaccination. In one of the most grotesque scenes in Brazilian politics, the then-president even showed a box of chloroquine to the rheas on the lawn of the Planalto Palace. It is worth remembering that the drug is demonstrably ineffective against Covid, but even so, it was faithfully defended by Bolsonaro and his supporters.

But this denialism came at a high price for the people, and many, unfortunately, paid with their lives. They were infected by the virus and, without a vaccine or by following Bolsonaro's denialist playbook and deciding not to get vaccinated, they died. Almost 700 deaths in Brazil. Thousands of people were left without a father, a mother, a brother, a friend.

But it didn't stop there, as the bill also hit the pockets of those who survived the Bolsonaro government. According to a report by Folha de São Paulo, under Bolsonaro's administration, the Ministry of Health allowed approximately 38,9 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to expire. A loss of R$ 2 billion to public coffers.

And Bolsonaro's disregard for health didn't stop there. In addition to expired COVID-19 vaccines, the Ministry of Health incinerated medications used to treat rare diseases, one of the causes championed by his administration. Yet another multi-million dollar loss for Brazil.

According to data obtained by Folha de São Paulo through the Access to Information Law, since 2019, approximately 214 million medications have been discarded. The list includes vaccines against measles, rubella, hepatitis, and other diseases, as well as medications for people living with HIV. A true disaster! Meanwhile, the population struggles to obtain basic care and have their health guaranteed as a constitutional right.

Now, the bill has come due, and we, the Brazilian people, cannot pay it! Bolsonaro must pay for every cent, for his negligence and for so many other crimes he committed throughout his term. It is urgent that justice be served.

And let this serve as a lesson to us. Denialism is costly, takes lives, and can have a devastating effect on people's lives and a country's economy.