The findings of a survey in Brazil echo what other studies on COVID-19 have found in countries around the world: that the disease hits minority populations especially hard. Brazil's study exposed a dramatic increased threat to black Brazilians living in Sao Paulo.
In poorer communities - like Brasilandia - social distancing is hard to achieve. Many people live in substandard and crowded houses. Others don’t have the means to stop working and properly quarantine - not even with government assistance.