'In Piauí alone, the estimate is 3 cases; it's a lie that there are only 7 in Brazil,' says Wellington Dias.
The governor of Piauí, Wellington Dias, states that the estimated number of coronavirus cases in his state is 3 infected. He says that the number of 7 for the entire country is unrealistic.
From Rede Brasil Atual - The governor of Piauí, Wellington Dias (PT), stated that the federal government has sent the state only 800 COVID-19 test kits so far. He also revealed that his government's health teams estimate that there are 3 infected people in Piauí alone. "It's a lie that there are only around 7 in the rest of the country," he denounced.
Wellington participated in a dialogue, on the morning of this Friday (3), with the Senator Rogerio Carvalho (PT-SE). For Carvalho, the weak response from the federal government, as demonstrated by the case of Piauí, is a result of Guedes' "dogmatism of the minimal state" (Paulo Guedes, Minister of Economy), which prevents the release of funds.”
The discrepancy between the official number of infected people and the reality of the coronavirus crisis is explained, highlights the governor of Piauí, by the chronic lack of test kits. “The Ministry of Health is celebrating because it bought five hundred thousand kits for the whole of Brazil. Here in Piauí alone, I would need at least that number of kits,” he stated. TV PT video.
According to him, the state government acquired 137 kits and intends to reach 300 in the coming days. "I need, at a minimum, to test those who work in healthcare, because I don't know if those on the front lines are also sick."
Dias reported that the Northeast Governors' Consortium It has negotiated purchases and taken actions that allow the stock of protective materials and hand sanitizer, although insufficient, to be larger than it would be if it depended solely on the federal government.
The senator also reported that the PT (Workers' Party) caucus submitted a R$ 22 billion bill to help states recover from the drop in revenue. "The government hasn't injected new money into the states. This PT bill should be voted on next week." Carvalho also criticized the government's slowness in releasing the R$ 600 aid to citizens. "Who benefits from chaos?" Carvalho asked, drawing attention to the risk of social unrest.