Brazil President Bolsonaro Tests Positive for COVID-19

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Tuesday that he tested positive for the novel coronavirus, adding in a tv interview that he was in good health despite running a fever.

The right-wing populist, who played down the seriousness of the infection he called a "little flu," took the test on Monday after developing symptoms.

In an interview broadcast on state-run TV Brasil, Bolsonaro said he began feeling sick on Sunday and has been taking hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial drug of unproven effectiveness against COVID-19.

Brazil has the second-largest epidemic in the world after the United States. The biggest region in Latin America has more than 1.6 million reported cases and 65,000 COVID-19 fatalities.

Bolsonaro also consistently questioned the local rules for wearing a mask in public, including though a judge forced him to do so at the end of June. Bolsonaro has criticized the principles of social isolation endorsed by the World Health Organization. 

Over the weekend, Bolsonaro visited a variety of gatherings and was in good touch with the U.S. Ambassador Todd Chapman will mark the 4th of July. Pictures showed neither wearing a mask.

The U.S. embassy in Brasilia said via Twitter on Monday that the ambassador had lunch on July 4 with Bolsonaro, five ministers, and the president's son, Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro. The ambassador had no symptoms, but would undergo testing and is "taking precautions," the embassy said.

Source: Reuters