“It hurts me not to have been able to cuddle my son”: narratives of racial inequalities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

The scope of this study was to analyze the racial inequalities present in the narratives of people whose family members died from COVID-19 in Brazil. A qualitative approach was adopted, which is inserted in the social constructionist perspective. Narratives about illness and death were produced through in-depth interviews with 35 subjects. The data was collected in 25 municipalities in seven Brazilian states, interpreted using Content Analysis and discussed based on the theoretical framework proposed by Judith Butler. The narratives indicate that black people who died from COVID-19 faced difficulties in accessing health services, were cared for by the SUS, did not have access to home treatment, encountered restricted information about their health status, and the family experienced financial problems after death. Among those of white skin color, there was negligence and denialist practices, care provided by the private sector, with advanced medical technologies and no financial impact on the family. People who died were considered as “precarious lives” in the context of the pandemic, and the black population was marked by vulnerabilities and racial inequalities, highlighting the need for anti-racist approaches in health practices.

Key words:
COVID-19; Pandemic; Racial groups; Death