This article discusses the Covid-19 health crisis that began in Brazil in 2020—which has accelerated and deepened other chronic problems—and briefly addresses the situation and responses experienced in the country since then. It focuses on the main changes and learnings arising from the pandemic from the perspective of the BRICS and the Global South; highlights the relevance of the territorial dimension of health and well-being, both for analytical and policy purposes; examines the main challenges posed by the multiple crises at the global level and to Brazil; and addresses some of the main impacts and responses to these crises. The final session aligns proposals for the future and summarises the article’s central objective of discussing the urgency of placing the support of sustainability of life and the public services as the main driving axes of a new Brazilian development project.