BRAZIL PRESIDENT BOLSONARO SAYS HE THINKS HE’S HAD COVID-19

BRASILIA: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said he believes he’s already had Covid-19, after denying he’d had it and months spent downplaying its seriousness as he mingled with supporters without a facemask.

The 65-year-old president made the unexpected announcement during a live webcast on Facebook on Thursday evening. “I can take a test to see if I have antibodies,” he added.

Suspicions that Bolsonaro had been infected arose shortly after a number of aides who accompanied him on a March trip to Mar-a-Lago to meet with US President Donald Trump tested positive.

At the time, Bolsonaro denied that he had the virus, emphasising his strength as a reason for why he had not caught it. He also fought to keep his exam results private, though months later they would be revealed and show that he tested negative.

Brazil is second only to the US in deaths and cases from the pandemic, with 1,141 deaths and 39,483 new cases reported on Thursday.