Brazilian President’s Chief Of Staff Tests Positive For COVID-19, Country's Latest Public Figure To Be Infected
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s chief of staff, Army General Walter Souza Braga Netto, has tested positive for coronavirus, the latest high-ranking public figure in the Latin American country to have become infected. Braga Netto is reportedly showing no symptoms and is doing well, his office said in a statement.
Bolsonaro himself tested positive for the virus in early July. He said last week in a live-stream video that he has “mold in his lungs” and was taking antibiotics for an infection, but did not elaborate on what this meant.
Bolsonaro’s wife, Michelle, also tested positive for the virus last week, along with Brazil’s Science and Technology Minister Marcos Pontes.
Citizenship Minister Onyx Lorenzoni and newly appointed Education Minister Milton Ribeiro tested positive for the virus in July. Lorenzoni claims the unproven treatment hydroxychloroquine has helped him deal with the infection.
National Security Minister Augusto Heleno, along with Mines and Energy Minister Bento Albuquerque, both tested positive for the virus in March.
Brazil currently has the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world, with the country’s Afro-Brazilian and indigenous populations disproportionately impacted by the virus. As of 9 p.m. ET on Monday, there are 2,733,677 cases of the virus in Brazil, with the country’s death toll at 94,104.
Bolsonaro has frequently downplayed the virus, referring to it as the "little flu." He has also feuded with state governors implementing lockdown policies to prevent the spread of the disease, due to the negative impact on the economy.
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