Brazil’s Bolsonaro tests positive for coronavirus
BRASÍLIA, Brazil (AFP) — Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro — an outspoken skeptic about the seriousness of the coronavirus — announced Tuesday he had tested positive but said he was feeling “perfectly well” and had only mild symptoms.
The far-right leader has caused huge controversy in Brazil for repeatedly flouting lockdown measures in place to curb the spread of the virus, which has killed 65,000 people and infected 1.6 million more in the South American giant.
The test “has come out and it’s positive,” Bolsonaro said in a television interview from his residence in the capital Brasilia, adding that he was taking hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin to treat the illness.
Hydroxychloroquine is a medication usually used to treat malaria and lupus, while azithromycin is an antibiotic that can be used to treat pneumonia.
At 65, Bolsonaro is in one of the highest risk categories for a virus that has killed more than half a million people worldwide and infected nearly 12 million.
Bolsonaro said he started feeling unwell on Sunday and felt worse on Monday, feeling “tiredness, illness and a fever of 38 degrees” Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit).
But he insisted he was feeling “good, calm” and took off his face mask to emphasize the point.
“Life goes on. We’re going to take care, particularly of old people and those with illnesses that are a risk factor,” he added — before repeating his mantra that the “collateral effects” of the virus should not be worse than the illness itself.