City Completely Collapsed Because Of COVID-19, Citizens Queue Up For Life-Saving Oxygen

It’s really hell in Manaus, Brazil, and everyone here is suffering in their own ways.

For some, it’s the pain of having no bed left in hospital for their sick loved ones. For others, it’s waiting for hours on end just to hear that their family member couldn’t be saved.

For the people in the front line, it’s working until they are completely worn out with 36-hour shifts. Gravediggers have to move tons of dirt to make at least 20,000 more graves.

Even those who have passed away couldn’t get a proper burial with dead bodies stacking on top of each other.

This is what happens when the city’s healthcare system has collapsed under the pressure of the second wave of COVID-19.

Ignored Warnings

Manaus is the largest and also the capital of the State of Amazonas. The city has more than 30 hospitals, both private and public. However, the problem lies in the logistics – how to bring supplies to the hospitals and how to get people there. For years, the state citizens have to rely on the river and air transport.

When the Coronavirus first reached the city in April 2019, it caught on like wildfire and led to such a large number of cases that scientists were sure herd immunity was possible. And politicians took advantage of the prediction right away to avoid a costly lockdown.

However, in September, a well-known research institute for public health in Brazil - the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, advised that the city should impose restrictions on business and movements – a suggestion that Manaus ignored.

According to Jesem Orellana, a researcher at the institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation issued 13 alerts with a very serious one in December and most people made fun of their studies, including President Jair Bolsonaro.

Orellana said the federal and state government use the herd immunity theory to explain why they refuse to listen to the warnings.

When the number of cases and deaths caused by COVID-19 in Manaus can no longer be ignored, Wilson Lima - Amazonas state governor sought advice from experts and imposed a lockdown. But the efforts faced a backlash from protesters who support Bolsonaro’s insistence that the economy must keep running. Lima later backed down.

In an interview, David Almeida - Manaus mayor blamed the protesters for the spikes in the number of COVID-19 cases. The state now has 7,050 deaths and 248,000 cases.

It has been two days into the 7-day lockdown for Amazonas.

Oxygen Supply Depleted

It’s clear now that Manaus is running out of something severe COVID-19 patients desperately need – oxygen.

White Martins – the company that provides the city hospitals with oxygen told the federal Health Ministry and the Amazonas state on January 8 that their supplies were low. While on January 12, the federal government did send oxygen but what they could give is far from enough.

Oxygen shortages caused the collapse of the city’s healthcare system, forcing the city to airlift COVID-19 patient to some other states. The state media said many patients died of asphyxiation and the Federal Prosecutor's Office made public that the shortage has led to the death of at least 29 patients. The number is expected to get even higher as the investigation goes forward.

The shortage has forced people to seek oxygen supply from a private supplier.

Stressed and fatigue, many Manaus citizens believed their loved ones should be taken care of at home rather than in a hospital.

Meanwhile, hospitals are filled to the brim and at least 530 people are in line for a bed. And outside these medical institutions, people cry and scream while waiting for a chance to bring their loved ones in.

Security and staff stand guard at hospital doors to prevent unauthorized entering but they are unable to provide any information for people about the situations of their family members.

Investigations And Blame-Casting

The federal government refused to take responsibility for the oxygen shortage and blamed the situation on the Amazonas state government.

Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello denied the accusation that the ministry had failed to act while Bolsonaro blamed the state government for mishandling federal funds. In response, Amazonas state government lays the blame on the logistical challenges.

The state authorities said two more hospitals would be opened to increase the bed count.

The Health Minister promised to return to Manaus and stay there as long as needed to fix the city’s health system.

However, despite their effort, the city’s citizens have very little confidence in the authorities and their response to COVID-19.

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