Brazil's President Tests Positive for COVID

Jair Bolsonaro has downplayed the virus as a public health threat
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 7, 2020 10:38 AM CDT
Brazil's President Tests Positive for COVID
Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro in 2019.   (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)

Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro has tested positive for the coronavirus, an illness he has repeatedly downplayed as a threat to public health. "It came back positive," the 65-year-old told reporters Tuesday, per the Guardian. Bolsonaro was tested Monday after developing a fever and cough. The diagnosis will test the president's own prediction in March, notes the Washington Post: "With my history as an athlete, if I were infected by the virus, I wouldn't need to worry," he said. "I wouldn't feel anything or, if very affected, it would be like a little flu or little cold." Brazil has the second-most cases in the world, at 1.6 million. The nation has registered about 65,000 deaths. (More Jair Bolsonaro stories.)

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