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Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro Tests Positive for Virus He Dismissed as a “Fantasy”

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has dismissed the coronavirus pandemic as a “fantasy” even with his country second only to the United States in confirmed cases, has tested positive for COVID-19. The far-right leader, 65, announced his diagnosis to reporters Tuesday—standing a few feet away from journalists while not wearing a mask. “Just look at my face,” Bolsonaro said, removing his face-covering as he addressed the press. “I’m fine,” he said. “I’m very well.”

Like his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump, Bolsonaro has repeatedly downplayed the threat posed by the virus and opposed public health measures aimed at managing the crisis. He has described COVID-19 as a “measly cold,” urged Brazilians to return to work, and touted hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malarial Trump has repeatedly promoted as a therapy for coronavirus, though its safety and efficacy as a treatment remains uncertain. He also claimed that he “wouldn’t feel a thing” if he were to contract the disease, thanks to his athletic history.

Bolsonaro in March was rumored to have been infected after his press secretary, who accompanied him to a dinner with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, tested positive. But the Brazilian president was negative after a second test. He was tested again in recent days after suffering from a fever, aches, and fatigue.

In testing positive, Bolsonaro is now the latest world leader to contract the virus. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who had taken a similarly cavalier approach to the pandemic, announced he had COVID in March, and was eventually admitted to the ICU. Trump has apparently not been infected, despite his ongoing refusal to wear a mask or socially distance, even as members of his administration and others in his orbit have caught coronavirus. Each has faced intense criticism for their responses to the pandemic, which has killed roughly 540,000 people worldwide. The U.S. currently has the highest caseload, with nearly 2.9 million confirmed infections and counting. Brazil is second, with 1.6 million, followed by India and Russia.

Bolsonaro’s infection comes days after he blocked legislation requiring face masks in churches, schools, and other public places—and following a lunch celebrating the American Independence Day holiday Saturday with top aides and U.S. ambassador Todd Chapman, all of whom were photographed seated close to one another without wearing masks. (Chapman is not said to be experiencing symptoms, but will get tested and “take proper precautions,” according to the embassy.) Bolsonaro—who said Tuesday that he is being treated with hydroxychloroquine, which Trump claims to have taken as a prophylactic despite its unproven efficacy and safety—is continuing to downplay the virus, though he himself is now among the 11.6 million worldwide confirmed to have contracted it. “There’s no need to panic,” he told reporters, per NPR. “It’s time to get back to work.”

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