Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has tested positive for Covid-19, following months of downplaying the virus.
He said that his wife, First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro was also tested.
In an interview with CNN Brasil following his diagnosis, Bolsonaro said he would steer clear of in-person meetings in the near future. “I’m not going to see anyone for meetings. Everything will be done via video conference and I will rarely meet people if I need to deal with more reserved matter,” he said.
He also acknowledged the grave risk posed by a virus that he has in the past dismissed as just a “little flu.” “We know the fatality of the virus for those of a certain age, like me, above 65, as well as for those with comorbidities, diseases, other issues. In those cases, the virus could be decisive and lead to death — everyone knew that,” he said.
Bolsonaro previously reassured supporters on Monday that his lungs were “clean,” after being tested. Wearing a mask, he warned them to not get near him.
“You can’t get very close [to me], OK? Recommendation for everyone,” he said.
‘I thought I had contracted it already’
Brazil is second only to the United States in numbers of coronavirus infections and deaths. But Bolsonaro has often appeared in public and at rallies without a face mask, even hugging supporters.
“I have to admit, I thought I had gotten it earlier, considering my very dynamic activity in the face of the people,” he said on Tuesday. “And I can tell you more, I am the President and I am on the front line, I don’t run away from my responsibility nor do I shy away from the people.”
“Because of my contact with the people, I thought I had contracted it already and not noticed it, like the majority of the Brazilian population that contracts the virus, and doesn’t know,” he continued.
More than 65,000 people have now died of the virus in Brazil, according to figures released by the country’s health ministry on Monday. So far, 1,623,284 cases have been confirmed. With coronavirus tests hard to come by in the country, some local experts say the real number of people infected could be 12 to 16 times higher.
The Brazilian leader struck a defiant note during his interview with CNN Brasil, defending his government’s management of the pandemic.
“No country in the world has managed to prevent deaths,” he said.
