Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro tested positive for the coronavirus Tuesday, hours after telling supporters he felt fine.
“It just turned out positive,” Bolsonaro said Tuesday, according to CNN Brasil.
Bolsonaro underwent a coronavirus test Monday and told supporters he was exhibiting symptoms of infection, including running a fever of 100.4 degrees. Representatives for the presidential palace said Bolsonaro was at home and “in good health.”
“I’ve came back from the hospital now, I’ve done a lung screening, my lung is clean, OK? I went to do a COVID exam a while ago, but everything is OK,” he said Monday, according to CNN Brasil.
Even while telling people that his lungs were “clean” Monday, Bolsonaro said people should stay away from him: “You can’t get very close [to me], OK? Recommendation for everyone.”
Brazil is second only to the United States in the number of coronavirus cases, with more than 1.6 million. Health experts believe Brazil’s coronavirus case count is actually much higher than reported because of its exceptionally low testing rates.
Bolsonaro has downplayed the pandemic for months, calling it a “little flu,” and has appeared in public and at rallies without wearing a mask, hugging, and shaking hands with supporters. He was tested for the coronavirus several times in March, and his office released results showing he was negative, while other reports alleged he had tested positive for the virus at around the same time.
One of Bolsonaro’s aides tested positive for the coronavirus in May after joining Bolsonaro in a meeting with President Trump to discuss the leadership crisis in Venezuela. Bolsonaro maintains that mask-wearing should not be mandatory in Brazil and vetoed measures to mandate masks on Monday.
