Coronavirus: Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro tests positive for the second time
Bolsonaro has faced severe backlash for ignoring physical distancing norms and downplaying the seriousness of the disease.
Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro tested positive for the coronavirus for the second time on Wednesday, AFP reported. He was first diagnosed with the infection on July 7.
“I’m fine, thank God,” he said in a social media message in Portuguese, according to the news agency. “Yesterday [Tuesday] morning, I took the test, and in the evening the result was that I am still positive for the coronavirus.”
Bolsonaro said that he was not experiencing any symptoms. The Brazil president added that he had been taking-anti malarial drug hydroxychloroquine since he was first found to have contracted the infection. “I am not recommending anything,” he said. “I recommend that you talk to your doctor. In my case, a military doctor recommended hydroxychloroquine, and it worked.”
Bolsonaro’s office said that he will remain in quarantine at his official residence and continue to work online.
The Brazilian leader has been criticised by health experts and several other people for showing complete disregard for physical distancing norms by attending rallies and meeting groups of supporters, often without wearing a protective mask. A top judge in Brazil had to order Bolsonaro to wear a mask in June.
Bolsonaro had also downplayed the seriousness of the pandemic on multiple occasions. In April, he called the raging health crisis a “little flu”. He has repeatedly urged people to go back to work, citing the deteriorating economy as the reason, and attended multiple anti-lockdown rallies.
Brazil is the world’s second-worst coronavirus-hit country with a tally of 19,66,748 cases. The country’s toll has risen to 75,366.