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Brazil’s President Bolsonaro tests positive for COVID-19 after months of downplaying it

After months of downplaying the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and dismissing it as “little flu,” Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro revealed that he has tested positive for the virus.

Speaking on local TV channels, the president said that he started getting fever, feeling fatigued and muscle pains, a reason he got himself tested.
“Everyone knew that it would reach a considerable part of the population sooner or later. It was positive for me,” he said, adding that his wife First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro was also tested.
READ ALSO: President of Honduras contracts COVID-19
In an interview with CNN Brasil, the president. Said he will avoid in-person meetings for now.
“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 a more reserved matter,” he said.
Bolsonaro has also acknowledged the seriousness of the disease, after months of downplaying it to the public.
“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,” CNN Brasil quoted him as saying.
As of this writing, Brazil is the second most impacted country in the world in terms of COVID-19 cases, with 1,668,589 confirmed cases. The president, however, did not believe the grave threat it posed, and even appeared at public rallies and embracing supporters without a face mask.
Bolsonaro also did not approve implementing lockdown measures, noting that it would hurt the country more than the virus itself. This, as the number of cases in the country continued to increase.
The World Health Organisation extended its warm wishes for the president’s speedy recovery, and noted that everyone should understand the seriousness of COVID-19.
“It’s very important to understand the seriousness of this virus and to be really serious. No country is immune, and no country is safe, and no individual can be safe,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
SEE ALSO: JUST IN: QC Mayor Joy Belmonte tests positive for COVID-19

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