Rio de Janeiro, April 8, 2026 (BIREME/PAHO/WHO) – The COVID-19 Pandemic Digital Memorial was officially launched as part of the World Health Day program, which this year paid tribute to the victims of COVID-19. The event, held at the Cultural Center of the Ministry of Health (CCMS), also marked the reopening of the venue, with a program dedicated to memory, science, and public health. The ceremony honored more than 700,000 lives lost in Brazil and brought together authorities, researchers, representatives of civil society, and the general public.
The Digital Memorial is an initiative of the Brazilian Ministry of Health, coordinated by the CCMS, developed in technical cooperation with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), through BIREME, and in collaboration with the Center for Digital Humanities at the State University of Campinas (Unicamp).
During the ceremony, Minister of Health Alexandre Padilha highlighted the public and symbolic nature of the space, inviting society to take ownership of the Memorial as a place of memory and collective construction. “Make use of this space, which is above all an open space for society, for the victims of COVID-19 and their families, so that it may increasingly be occupied with the promotion of life, the defense of life, and the defense of science,” he said.
The portal brings together collections of documents in various formats – including historical records, technical and scientific content, and social productions – ensuring their preservation and public access. By addressing the risk of loss of digital content, the initiative contributes to valuing diverse narratives and building a critical social memory of the pandemic.
In a video message for the event, PAHO Director Jarbas Barbosa highlighted the Organization’s commitment to strengthening regional preparedness for future health emergencies. “Preserving what was experienced also strengthens society’s capacity to respond to future pandemics,” he stated. Watch the full video.
According to BIREME Director João Paulo Souza, initiatives such as the Digital Memorial have strategic relevance for public health by promoting learning from lived experience. “By consolidating memory for information generation and knowledge organization, public policies aligned with the mission of health for all are strengthened.”
The launch is part of a broader set of actions aimed at strengthening memory and the health system response to COVID-19. The program included the inauguration of memorial monuments and the launch of the National Guidelines for the Management of Post-COVID Conditions within Brazil’s Unified Health System (SUS).
As a continuation of the project, the traveling exhibition “The Infinite Memory of the Pandemic – The story of COVID-19 by all of us, Brazilians” will tour different regions of the country throughout 2026, expanding the initiative’s public reach.
To visit the portal, please access: https://memorialdigitalcovid19.org.br/.
