Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday said he has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Bolsonaro confirmed he had tested positive for the novel virus while wearing a mask and speaking to reporters, saying he had begun feeling ill on Sunday and has been taking hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug with unproven effectiveness against the virus.
“I’m well, normal. I even want to take a walk around here, but I can’t due to medical recommendations,” Bolsonaro said.
This comes a day after the president said his lungs were “clean” following a coronavirus test. Local media reported he had symptoms associated with the respiratory disease.
He had also previously refused to wear a face mask, and had failed to announce a nationwide restrictions
Bolsonaro, 65, has repeatedly played down the impact of the virus, describing it as nothing more than “a little flu.”
Brazil has suffered one of the world’s worst outbreaks, with more than 1.6 million confirmed cases and 65,000 related deaths, according to official data on Monday.
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