Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro, Tests Positive For Covid-19 After Dismissing The Seriousness Of The Virus
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has tested positive for Covid-19 following months of downplaying the highly contagious virus.
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While speaking on Brazilian TV channels Tuesday, Bolsonaro himself announced the result, saying, “Everyone knew that it would reach a considerable part of the population sooner or later. It was positive for me,” he said, referring to the Covid-19 test which he took Monday.
He went on to say,
“On Sunday, I wasn’t feeling very well. On Monday, it got worse when I started feeling tired and some muscle pain. I also had a 38-degree [Celsius] fever. Given those symptoms, the presidential doctor said there was suspicion of Covid-19,” Bolsonaro said, adding that he then went to hospital where scans of his lungs “came back clean.”
Bolsonaro told CNN affiliate, CNN Brazil, that he had been treated with hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin as he awaited the result of his fourth Covid-19 test in four months. While Hydroxychloroquine has not been proven as an effective treatment for Covid-19, it has been boosted by both Bolsonaro and US President Donald Trump.
Bolsonaro said, “I am feeling very well. I believe that the way they administered the hydroxychloroquine on, the effect was immediate,” he said.
Bolsonaro has previously tested negative for coronavirus in at least three separate examinations. As the news site notes, those tests were administered between March 12 and March 17, after Bolsonaro returned from a bilateral meeting with Trump in Florida.
As we previously reported, the 65-year-old has repeatedly downplayed the pandemic and social distancing, Bolsonaro had continued to attend social events and political rallies, often wearing masks incorrectly, or not wearing them at all. However, after announcing his positive result on Tuesday, Bolsonaro stepped back from the reporters he was addressing, removed his mask, and said: “Just look at my face. I’m well, fine, thank God … Thanks to all those who have been praying for me … and to those who criticize me, no problem, carry on criticizing as much as you like.”