1 Introduction

Novel coronavirus pneumonia is an acute infectious pneumonia, and its pathogen is a new coronavirus previously found in humans, which can constantly adapt to hosts during replication. Novel coronavirus has a higher reproductive capacity than SARS. COVID-19 cases were first detected in Hubei region of China in December 2019. Due to its acute infectiousness, the outbreak spread nationwide and quickly spread around the world [1, 2]. The World Health Organization has assessed that COVID-19 can be classified as a pandemic [3]. On February 7, 2020, the NHC decided to name the "novel coronavirus pneumonia" as "COVID-19" for short. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization announced that the COVID-19 epidemic is an internationally concerned public health incident, and its English name is Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) on February 11, 2020. As of August 12, 2021, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the world had exceeded 200 million and the total number of deaths had exceeded 4.33 million. More than a year since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, this outbreak has posed a huge challenge to the global economy, institutions and management, with devastating effects. The first is the dramatic increase in the number of human deaths around the world. Shutdown, production suspension, seriously affected the economic development of various countries [4]. The emergence of COVID-19 has slowed down global economic development and strongly triggered a global economic crisis [5]. The IMF had predicted that the pandemic would reduce the global economy by four times as much as the 2008–2009 financial crisis. Judging from objective data, since the COVID-19 outbreak, the EU has faced the most serious economic shock since its inception. Since the outbreak of the epidemic, the severe consumption of materials and human resources has put higher demands on the management and governance capacity of governments. The COVID-19 epidemic has had a greater impact on all aspects of China than the SARS epidemic. According to Russian satellite news agency Sputniknews, the Butantan Institute released information that at least 19 coronavirus variants have been detected in Brazil's Sao Paulo state as of June 20, 2021. At present, some regions have seen a rebound of the epidemic, with secondary and tertiary outbreaks, and the future evolution is still unclear. As of August 2021, the epidemic was still present and was aggravated by the emergence of a mutant strain.

The impact of the epidemic is global, and it is a major challenge facing the world. No country can be immune, and until the epidemic ends in one country, the whole world will be at risk [6]. Pandemics and similar pandemics evolve differently in different economic, social, environmental, climatic and institutional Settings [7,8,9]. Countries have also taken a series of measures in various aspects since the novel coronavirus outbreak. The process of COVID-19 prevention and control also involves the issue of key decisions in management [10, 11]. Governments are making real-time disclosures about the status of COVID-19 infections, tracking and monitoring key populations in real time. The government has paid attention to the voluntary participation of the community in epidemic prevention, and has strictly required people to wear masks when going out. In order to limit population movement, measures such as home quarantine, city lockdown, curfews, and school suspension have been taken [12, 13]. In order to enhance the capacity of the health system and public health, "makeshift hospitals" were built, isolation beds and community isolation facilities were added, vaccine clinical trials were conducted, and emergency response mechanisms were activated. Countries have imposed strict border controls, suspended international flights and visas, and issued a raft of subsidies. Policies and measures adopted by different countries to tackle COVID-19 have their own characteristics, strengths and weaknesses, and the effectiveness of epidemic prevention has also varied significantly.

China, a country with a large population, has taken tough measures to contain the disease. The prevention and control of COVID-19 's epidemic situation was a test of China's governance system and ability [14]. The government has placed the patients under strict quarantine and closely tracked close contacts. The government has strictly followed the three requirements for epidemic prevention and control: controlling the sources of infection, cutting off the routes of transmission and protecting vulnerable groups, and has made it a priority to raise the admission and cure rates and reduce the infection and fatality rates. Brazil, with a population of more than 200 million, is also one of the most populous countries in the world and has been hit hard, at one point being the second-worst country in the world. Brazil was the first South American country to report a confirmed case of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), on February 26, 2020, in Sao Paulo state [15]. The data show that the pandemic in Brazil has grown rapidly since February 25th (date of the first reported case). The Brazilian government has adopted a relatively relaxed mitigation strategy to deal with the outbreak. To mitigate the impact on the economy and to ease the strain on the health system, Brazil has taken a more moderate approach to the outbreak. In this paper, two typical countries, China and Brazil, are selected as the objects of analysis. Based on objective data, the advantages and disadvantages of the epidemic prevention policies of China and Brazil are compared by analyzing the epidemic prevention policies and effects of the two countries.

2 Methods

2.1 Data Collection

This study obtained official data on some indicators of COVID-19 in both countries from the official website of the National Health Commission, PRC, the website of the World Health Organization, the website of the Ministry of Health of Brazil and the Novel Coronavirus Resource Centre of Johns Hopkins University. Collect information on specific COVID-19 response measures in both countries from their government websites.

2.2 Statistical Analysis

The effectiveness of the epidemic prevention policies of the two countries was evaluated based on the cumulative number of confirmed cases, daily new confirmed cases, cumulative number of deaths and daily new deaths of the two countries as the main indicators. The study took the policies and strategies adopted by the two countries as independent variables and the epidemic data of the two countries as dependent variables for data analysis.

3 Results

3.1 Major COVID-19 Prevention and Control Policies in Both Countries

China was one of the first countries to report COVID-19 and be affected by it. As it was during the Spring Festival travel rush, the virus spread widely in a short time, which brought great difficulties to the government's control and tracking in the later period [16]. With the further spread and impact of COVID-19, the government responded immediately and focused all efforts on epidemic prevention and control. On January 20, 2020, COVID-19 was included in the National Class B infectious diseases, and the prevention and control measures of Class A infectious diseases were taken, as well as the management of the disease Law and the Health and Quarantine Law. Drawing on the experience of SARS, China adopted the "lockdown" measure in January. In the past, the Chinese government has also attached importance to the issue of health equity, so that every citizen can enjoy timely medical services [17]. On February 3, the government pointed out to further improve and strengthen prevention and control, strictly abide by early discovery, early report, early isolation, and early treatment of "four early principles". During outbreaks, real-time monitoring of transmission and mortality rates in countries is a priority [18]. The government has been disclosing daily data to raise residents' awareness of the crisis and has strictly required the wearing of masks. After January 27, China successfully released a notice about the delayed start of school. The epidemic spread rapidly in China in March and has been basically brought under control since April. Then the epidemic prevention and control became normal. At this stage, the nucleic acid testing capacity has been constantly improved, contacts of confirmed cases have been tracked comprehensively, people in isolation have been monitored in real time, and outbreaks have been given full attention. The government has taken a variety of ways to subsidize and rescue residents that have affected by epidemic. Since the prevention and control measures were normalized, sporadic outbreaks have occurred in some areas. Since the normalization of epidemic prevention and control, China has continued to implement the overall prevention and control strategy of "external defense input, internal defense rebound" [19]. The governments of various localities have also actively respond, the whole people cooperate, and the epidemic prevention and control effect is obvious.

Compared with China, the outbreak of COVID-19 in Brazil emerged later and spread slowly in the early stages. The Brazilian government did not take COVID-19 seriously enough and proactively responded to it in the early days, but also took some proactive measures after the outbreak. In response to the unexpected events, the government activated the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre for the Novel Coronavirus. On March 20, 2020, the government declared a "state of public disaster". In the early stages of the outbreak, the government focused on border and coastal zone management and closed the border completely on March 30, 2020. Later, it issued documents to strictly control the land, sea and air. From early March to May 30, Brazil took various prevention and control measures to limit the gathering of people and take quarantine measures to contain the spread of the epidemic [20]. Since the beginning of June, Brazil has gradually lifted the embargo and resumed its economy, relaxed the isolation policy and gradually resumed work and production. But a second outbreak soon followed, with daily new confirmed cases and new deaths rapidly increasing. The rebound has taken a heavy toll, and the government has tightened controls in high-risk areas, imposing curfews and delaying the opening of schools. On January 28, 2021, the vaccination campaign began across Brazil, and by July and August, vaccination coverage increased significantly. Table 1 shows the main policies of China and Brazil in responding to COVID-19.

Table 1 Main policies of China and Brazil in responding to COVID-19
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3.2 Analysis of the Effect of Epidemic Prevention and Control in China and Brazil

  1. (1)

    China's epidemic prevention and control effect

    At the beginning of the outbreak, the Chinese government mainly took preventive measures. In late January and early February, strict prevention and control policies were implemented and home quarantine notices were issued across the country. Figure 1 shows the trend of daily new cases and daily new deaths in China (The left Y-axis represents the daily number of newly confirmed cases in China, and the right Y-axis represents the daily number of new deaths). As can be seen from the Fig. 1, in the early days of the outbreak, daily new cases remained at a relatively high level. It peaked at 15,152 cases on February 13, 2020, and then gradually decreased and remained at a low level. By April 19, there were only 21 cases. In terms of daily new deaths, the rate of increase was slow until February 1, then increased. The peak was 1,290 on April 18. Since then, the daily number of new deaths has remained at a low level until June 2021, when the trend has increased. China's containment strategy has dramatically reduced the death and morbidity rates from COVID-19 [21]. Since the normalization of epidemic prevention and control, some provinces and cities in China still have outbreaks, with small fluctuations. In April 2021, the epidemic rebounded in Yunnan. High risk areas appeared in many places in Guangzhou in May and June. The epidemic broke out in Nanjing in July and August and spread to many provinces across the country. At present, the epidemic in China is not completely over. It is sporadic on the whole and there is a high risk in some areas.

    Fig. 1
    figure 1

    Trends of daily new cases and daily new deaths in China. Note: (1)On January 20, 2020, the National Health Commission included COVID-19 as a Class B infectious disease under the Law on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases and implemented a Class A management. (2)On January 27, The State Council approved the extension of the 2020 Spring Festival holiday to Feb 2. (3)On April 1, the government conducted nucleic acid sampling tests on all passengers entering China through air, water and land ports, and took measures of medical treatment or centralized isolation by category. (4)On April 29, the epidemic was sporadic in China, and imported cases were basically under control. The state declared that the epidemic prevention and control had entered a phase of normalization. (5)On May 13, the government began to promote the full resumption of classes in all schools. (6)On December 15, the first step to vaccinate targeted groups began. (7)On January 12, 2021, shijiazhuang city, Xingtai City, Langfang city implemented the closed management and the most stringent "four must" measures. (8)on January 19, the commerce Ministry received its first aid package. (9)On March 15, primary and secondary schools and kindergartens in Beijing took regular measures to prevent the epidemic. (10)On April 8, Market Supervision Bureau of Yunnan Province continued to strengthen the promotion and application of "Yunzhisu" platform, and implemented the "111" working mechanism. (11)On May 21, guangdong province conducted a high-quality epidemiological survey. (12)On June 4, Guangzhou City launched a large investigation of nucleic acid detection in the city. (13)On June 25, Guangzhou proposed the establishment of 5000 international health stations with independent space. (14)On July 21, Nanjing COVID-19 Prevention and Control Headquarters issued the 《Notice of Nanjing COVID-19 Prevention and Control Headquarters on Further Strengthening COVID-19 Prevention and Control work 》. (15)On August 4, Nanjing postponed work related to the school

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  2. (2)

    Brazil's epidemic prevention and control effect

    Figure 2 shows trends in daily new cases and daily new deaths in Brazil (The left Y-axis represents the daily number of newly confirmed cases in Brazil, and the right Y-axis represents the daily number of new deaths). The epidemic in Brazil can be divided into two stages. First, during the first wave of the epidemic, the first confirmed case in Brazil was on February 25, 2020, and the daily new confirmed cases remained at a low level for some time thereafter. The first death occurred on March 17, and by March 18, 2020, the number of newly confirmed cases per day had exceeded 100. Since 1 April, the number of newly confirmed cases per day has exceeded 1,000. On April 5, 2020, Brazil surpassed 10,000 cumulative COVID-19 cases, making it the worst-affected country in South America. Since June 2020, Brazil has gradually relaxed its control and gradually imposed contact restrictions, which has led to the outbreak not being effectively controlled. The first peak occurred in July and August, after which it decreased, but remained at a high level. Starting in November, the epidemic rebounded with a second wave of outbreaks. Brazil once ranked third in cumulative cases and second in new cases. Since 2021, The epidemic has been rapidly spreading in Brazil, with a high daily number of new cases and daily new deaths. The number of people who have died from COVID-19 in the country has topped half a million in just over a year. It took 149 days, 152 days, 76 days and 36 days respectively to reach 100,000, 200,000, 300,000 and 400,000 deaths. The Brazilian epidemic is characterized by another peak on top of the first. The epidemic in Brazil has gradually expanded and remained at a high level for a long time, presenting a grim situation.

    Fig. 2
    figure 2

    Trends of daily new cases and daily new deaths in Brazil. Note: (1)On March 20, 2020, Brazil's federal government declared a state of public disaster. (2)On March 30, Brazil closed the border completely. (3)On May 20, Brazil's parliament approved a law that makes wearing face masks mandatory in public, with fines for failing to comply. (4)On May 22, Brazil issued document No. 255 restricting entry of foreign citizens through land, sea and air ports for 30 days. (5)On June 1, Sao Paulo state was gradually unsealed. (6)On July 29, Brazil announced the lifting of its air travel ban, announcing the lifting of restrictions on passengers entering the country by air. (7)From July 30 to August 3, the Butantan Institute of Brazil provided drive-in Novel Coronavirus nucleic acid tests to the public in a shopping mall car park in Sao Paulo. (8)On November 12, a joint announcement was issued on measures to restrict the entry of foreign citizens into Brazil through land and sea ports within 30 days from November 12. (9)On December 10, Brazil's Ministry of Education approved a resolution allowing schools across the country to maintain online delivery. (10)From January 18 to 19, 2021, all of Brazil's 26 states and the federal District, where the capital is located, began vaccination. (11)On March 6, Sao Paulo entered the "red phase," the highest phase of the epidemic. (12)On April 23, the Brazilian government unveiled the 2021 budget bill signed by President Jair Bolsonaro on April 22 to tackle the public crisis through spending cuts. (13)On July 7, Sao Paulo State Governor Joao Doria announced the resumption of offline courses at public and private universities. (14)On July 9, Sao Paulo state began to relax quarantine measures and extend business hours. (15)On August 1, the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo has lifted its curfew

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  3. (3)

    Comparative analysis of the epidemic situation in the two countries

    Figure 3 shows the trend of total death cases in China and Brazil. As can be seen from the figure, the time of death in China was relatively early. On January 28, 2020, the total death cases exceeded 100, and on February 10, 2020, it exceeded 1,000, showing a rapid growth in the early stage. Thereafter, the daily new death case was mostly maintained in the number of digits, and the number of death cases was in a slow growth. On August 12, 2021, the total death case in China was 5,664. The death case in Brazil was later than that in China, and the total increase rate of death was at a relatively low level until April 2020. The total death cases exceeded 100 on March 30, 2020, and surpassed 1,000 in just a dozen days. It began to grow rapidly after April and began to overtake China on April 30. At present, the total number of deaths in Brazil is still in a state of rapid growth. In terms of total deaths, there is a significant gap between the two countries in the effectiveness of epidemic prevention and control.

    Fig. 3
    figure 3

    Trend chart of total death cases in China and Brazil

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4 Discussion

4.1 Complex Relationships Between the COVID-19 Pandemic and Socio-economic and Meteorological Conditions

The Novel Coronavirus is highly uncertain and complex in both space and time. Effective public governance can support health systems to be prepared in a pandemic environment [22]. Environmental conditions were found to be a factor in the spread of the virus across geographical boundaries [23]. The social distancing and preventive measures instituted across countries have a link with spread containment whereas spread containment is associated with meteorological factors[24]. For example, both atmospheric parameters and air quality are correlated with COVID-19 outbreaks [25, 26].

  1. (1)

    Novel Coronavirus and Aerosols

    Aerosol is a gaseous dispersion system composed of solid or liquid particles suspended in a gaseous medium. Coughing, sneezing, and even breathing produce aerosols. Small droplets in a room without air flow can hover for seconds to minutes, but with the right air flow, these droplets move and spread faster. Studies have shown that COVID-19 can be transmitted by aerosols. COVID-19 can be transmitted by aerosols in confined Spaces, but rarely in open environments.

  2. (2)

    Novel Coronavirus and Temperature

    A study has found that temperature is an environmental driver of the COVID-19 outbreak in China. Low temperatures and high temperatures may help reduce the incidence of COVID-19. Thus, Brazil's perennial hot weather conditions may help contain the spread of COVID-19. In another study of 122 cities in China, the average temperature was found to have a positive linear relationship with the number of COVID-19 cases when the temperature was below 3 degrees Celsius. There is no evidence that the number of COVID-19 cases will decline as the weather warms [27].

  3. (3)

    Novel Coronavirus and Humidity

    Many studies around the world have documented that humidity plays a critical role in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. In a study of Bangladesh, high temperatures and relative humidity were found to slow the spread of COVID-19 [28]. A high correlation between novel coronavirus transmission time and absolute humidity has been found in a comparison of China, the UK, Germany and Japan [29]. China and Brazil have their own characteristics in terms of precipitation and humidity, which may also contribute to the difference in the epidemic situation.

  4. (4)

    Novel Coronavirus and Wind Speed

    In a study of Italy, it was found that the lower the wind speed and the more severe the air pollution, the higher the number of novel Coronavirum-related infections [30]. Strong wind speeds in China's coastal and northwestern regions may help contain the spread of the pandemic. Despite strong winds along the coast of Brazil, there has been a decrease in winds inland, which may contribute to the spread of COVID-19 in some areas.

    Other indicators of climate and environmental pollution have also been linked to the spread of COVID-19 [31,32,33]. So one of the current problems in environmental science is to explain how air pollution is affecting the COVID-19 pandemic [34, 35]. In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for example, weather has played a key role in the spread of COVID-19. Solar radiation is the most critical weather factor and has a significant and strong correlation with the onset of COVID-19 [36]. Some research results have shown that long-term exposure to certain air pollutants can cause more severe COVID-19 and delay recovery for patients [37, 38]. Policies such as lockdowns and quarantines during COVID-19 have also had an impact on air quality [39]. At the same time, the impact of meteorological factors on COVID-19 is inconsistent and contradictory, because the development of COVID-19 is related to multiple factors, and a single meteorological factor cannot fully explain the current situation of the epidemic. In addition to meteorological factors, COVID-19 also interacts with a country's economic growth [40]. Figure 4 shows the trend of GDP per capita in China and Brazil since 2015. On the one hand, a country's economic situation has restricted epidemic prevention and control, and on the other hand, the COVID-19 pandemic has seriously affected a country's economic development. Studies have found that in many countries, the COVID-19 pandemic has significant ethnic differences, with minority populations disproportionately infected [41, 42]. Table 2 shows the major factors influencing the COVID-19 outbreak in the two countries.

    Fig. 4
    figure 4

    The trend of per capita GDP in China and Brazil since 2015

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    Table 2 Major factors influencing the COVID-19 outbreak in the two countries
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The COVID-19 pandemic posed challenges for healthcare systems and political leaders across the globe [43]. China and Brazil have differences in their systems of government, healthcare and attitudes towards the epidemic. The two countries have adopted containment and mitigation strategies according to their national conditions. As can be seen from the above analysis, the epidemic prevention effects of the two countries are also significantly different. China has brought the rapid spread of the epidemic under control in just a few months, with daily new cases and deaths returning to low levels. Although some regions have seen a rebound, secondary outbreaks have been avoided as a whole. Brazil's response has been less than satisfactory. Some of Brazil's early policies did have a certain prevention and control effect, but the relaxation of the later period led to a serious worsening of the epidemic in Brazil. The daily number of newly cases and the total number of confirmed cases are soaring. Brazil was once the second worst country in the world and has not yet been well controlled.

One of the strategies of defense against infectious diseases (e.g., COVID-19) is the vaccinations that decrease the numbers of infected individuals and deaths. In this context, the optimal level of vaccination for COVID-19 is a basic point to control this pandemic crisis in society. Findings reveal that the average level of administering about 80 doses of vaccines per 100 inhabitants between countries can sustain a reduction of confirmed cases and number of deaths [44]. Therefore, improving public confidence in vaccination is also an important measure to control the outbreak [45]. According to statistics, as of July 16, 2021, there were a total of 135 candidate vaccines and a total of 391 vaccines in trials, including 36 vaccines in phase I clinical trials, 54 vaccines in phase II clinical trials, 40 vaccines in phase III clinical trials, and 20 approved for use. At present, the world has entered the phase of vaccination, countries should be universal vaccination as soon as possible. Meanwhile, non-drug prevention and control measures should not be relaxed [46]. Israel, a model vaccination country, has an 85% adult vaccination rate, far ahead of any other country in the world. COVID-19 dramatically influenced mortality worldwide, in Italy as well, one of the first European countries to experience the COVID-19 epidemic [47]. The number of new infections in Israel dropped from an average of more than 10,000 a day in January 2021 to more than 100 in April. Later, the Israeli government decided to lift the ban completely, and by June, masks were no longer required. But the Delta virus quickly took advantage and spread very quickly. By July 2021, when cases spiked to more than 1,000 a day, masks were reactivated and contacts of confirmed cases were quarantined for 14 days. By August 12, 2021, the daily number of newly cases reached 6,022, and the total number of confirmed cases reached 919,602, indicating a significant rebound of the epidemic. For infectious diseases, prevention and control is more important than treatment and improve the whole people. Awareness of self-protection, overall planning and coordination of epidemic isolation is very important [48]. Therefore, although vaccination plays an important role in epidemic prevention and control, it is not enough to rely on vaccination alone to prevent and control the epidemic, and non-drug interventions are still the top priority in current work.

4.2 Assessment of Containment Strategies

China is following a classic containment strategy. Rapid response is critical in the early stages of an infectious disease outbreak [49]. In the early stages of the epidemic, the government's main task was to control and screen people. Later, the government realized the seriousness of the epidemic and the threat to people's lives, and adopted a strict containment strategy. The government launched a comprehensive screening of travelers and continued to test for cases. Quarantine measures can effectively reduce the spread of infectious viruses [50]. The government also suppressed the spread of the outbreak by tracking and isolating suspected cases and close contacts. For the management of community residents, comprehensive screening, real-time monitoring and wearing masks are required. China has given full play to the key and core role of the community in epidemic prevention and control. The community has strictly adhered to the state's quarantine policy and has developed its own response to the epidemic. In terms of the health system, in order to relieve the pressure on the medical system and enhance the capacity of the medical system, the government built more wards and hospitals and actively organized personnel to develop vaccines. China has controlled the rapid spread of the epidemic in just a few months and the epidemic has been effectively brought under control. It turns out that the most effective way to prevent and control COVID-19 is early detection, diagnosis, isolation and treatment [51]. On August 12, 2021, the total number of confirmed cases in China was only 122,058, with 98 newly confirmed cases. By August 12, 2021, Germany, which also adopted the containment strategy, had a cumulative death case of 91,834, with 44,887 confirmed cases and 17 new deaths, and the epidemic was effectively prevented and controlled.

4.3 Assessment of Mitigation Strategies

Mitigation strategies aim to keep the number of infections low through modest control measures, but could overwhelm health service capacity if COVID-19 infections increase [52]. Brazil is an example of a mitigation strategy. In the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, Brazil only admitted, isolated and tested severe patients, but did not pay enough attention to mild patients, who were advised to stay at home for self-observation. As for the control of residents, the government has taken various measures to limit the gathering of people, including suspending classes and canceling large-scale events indefinitely. People were urged to wear masks in public places and implement home quarantine policies. However, Brazil's president backed only elderly people staying at home, citing concerns about jobs. Later, due to the aggravation of the epidemic, many cities adopted a total ban and lockdown measures, or extended the quarantine period. The COVID-19 epidemic was a test of Brazil's unified health care system [53]. COVID-19 is causing the collapse of Brazil's national health service [54]. In terms of health systems, on March 23, Brazil built a "makeshift hospital" inside the Pacanbo Stadium in Sao Paulo. The construction of square cabin hospital was a new concept to deal with sudden health incidents [55]. Sao Paulo's Annimbi Makeshift Hospital opened on April 11 and has treated 6,350 patients. Since June 1, the state of Sao Paulo has gradually resumed economic activities, and five colors of red, orange, yellow, green and blue have been used to classify and control the epidemic. Mitigation strategies can slow the spread of the epidemic to some extent and reduce the pressure on the medical system, but they cannot completely control the epidemic, which is also an important factor in Brazil's second resurgence of the epidemic. As of August 12, 2021, the total number of confirmed cases in Brazil has reached 2,0212,642, with 34,885 new confirmed cases on that day. On August 12, 2021, the total number of confirmed cases and total death case in the United States, which also adopted mitigation strategies, reached nearly 36 million and 613,647. The epidemic has not been well controlled in the two countries.

5 Conclusions

The epidemic has caused a severe impact on the medical and economic aspects of the world, which should draw the attention of all parties. This study makes a comparative analysis of typical containment and mitigation strategies in China and Brazil. Based on the situation of epidemic prevention in the two countries, the evaluation of the two epidemic prevention policies shows that China, which implemented the containment strategy, has controlled the epidemic in a relatively short period of time. Brazil, which implemented a mitigation strategy, relaxed its guard after the epidemic eased slightly, causing the epidemic to rebound. The epidemic has caused heavy human losses, and Brazil's prevention and control effects are not satisfactory. China, as a country with a large population, is more difficult to prevent and control, but the epidemic prevention and control effect is more obvious. Therefore, from the perspective of the current prevention and control effects in both countries, containment strategies are better than mitigation strategies in the prevention and control of COVID-19.

In addition to non-pharmaceutical interventions, reducing vaccine hesitancy and implementing an effective vaccination programme are also important measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. The evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic has been linked to multiple factors, for example, a variety of socio-economic and environmental factors have played an important role in explaining evolutionary dynamics over time and space during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, data sources can only capture some aspects of the ongoing outbreak dynamics. The results here are mainly based on the policy strategies of the two countries, and future investigations must expand the research scope and increase the factors to be considered.