Brazil’s President Bolsonaro tests positive for coronavirus
President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil has tested positive for coronavirus, the leader said today.
The Brazilian president said he began feeling unwell on Sunday, and later tested positive for Covid-19.
He had cleared his public agenda earlier today as he awaited the result of a coronavirus test, with his office saying the far-right leader — who has dismissed the virus as a “little flu” — was in good health.
He is currently taking a mix of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin to treat the illness.
Bolsonaro added that he is feeling good after starting the medication, and has cancelled an upcoming trip to Bahia, one of Brazil’s 26 states.
The leader has mostly refused to wear a mask in public, despite being ordered by a judge to do so last month. He has also spoken out against social distancing measures.
Brazil has the world’s second-largest outbreak behind the US. More than 65,000 people have been killed by coronavirus in the country so far, which has confirmed over 1.6m cases of the disease.
Over the weekend, Bolsonaro attended a number of public events and was in close contact with the US ambassador to Brazil during 4 July celebrations.
The US embassy in Brasil said that Todd Chapman, the ambassador, had lunch with Bolsonaro, five ministers and Bolsonaro’s son, Eduardo, who is a federal congressman.
The ambassador has no symptoms, but will undergo testing and is “taking precautions,” the embassy said.
Bolsonaro tested negative for coronavirus earlier this year, after several aides were diagnosed following a visit to US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.