Colonel Virus has arrived. Ethnographic notes about Covid-19 among vulnerable people in the city of Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

The first two months of Covid-19 in Brazil, specifically in the city of Rio de Janeiro, sparked a number of controversies. One of them was around bodies that would have to remain exposed to the virus to guarantee the functioning of services that “could not stop” or that would be directly involved in fighting the disease. In the pandemic, this “breathtaking” event, doctors and other health professionals, vulnerable populations, precarious workers, the elderly and chronic patients were equated. Through the narrative of a visit to my father, interactions on neighborhood Facebook pages, conversations with interlocutors (by phone and in WhatsApp groups), and through news from diverse media sources, the text follows some controversies; in particular, the idea accepted by segments of society and government that certain bodies could remain more exposed to the virus and therefore more exposed to death.