Brazil's congress issued an ultimatum on President Jair Bolsonaro, a staunch critic of coronavirus lockdown guidelines, to release the results of his test. The move comes after widespread talk claims he has been infected with COVID-19.

Rogerio Correa, a leftist congressman, proposed the motion on Wednesday. He quickly gained the support of leaders and deputies who believe the country and its people deserve to know the truth.

The truth

According to the proposal, 23 people who went with Bolsonaro to the US in March were found to be infected with the coronavirus pandemic. Some of them reportedly attended a dinner at Mar-a-Lago resort, a property owned by US President Donald Trump.

Bolsonaro has since refused to release the results of his two coronavirus tests. He also denied requests made by the UOL. Bolsonaro repeatedly claimed he tested negative for the virus, but he never produced any document.

Speculations were further fueled when he asked doctors in San Paulo to give him the prescription of their hydroxychloroquine treatments. A military hospital also withheld two names from a list of positive cases after Bolsonaro took a test in the facility. 

"It's just flu."

Bolsonaro has continuously downplayed the threat of the pandemic. In March, he compared COVID-19 to "a little flu or a bit of a cold." He said he would feel nothing should he contract the virus due to his athletic background.

He has been attacking state governors who imposed social isolation measures in their area. Bolsonaro was filmed shaking hands with a woman after wiping his nose on his wrist.

He fired his health minister, Luiz Henrique Mandetta, after weeks of fighting and threats over the government's lack of coronavirus mitigating strategy.

Mandetta was one of the Brazilian government's avid supporters of social distancing, praising state governors who chose to shut down schools and businesses to curb the rapidly spreading virus.

His approach was met with a lot of resistance from the Brazilian president himself, saying the isolation could lead to an economic fallout "worse than the virus."

He also challenged Bolsonaro's insistence that anti-malaria drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine can cure COVID-19 patients. Many researchers have been putting the drug through trial after several promising results. However, there is still no concrete evidence of its effectiveness.

Nelson Teich

(Photo : REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino/Adriano Machado)
IN THE PHOTO: Former Minister of Health Luiz Henrique Mandetta (left), newly-appointed Minister of Health Nelson Teich (right)

The new health minister was announced during a televised press conference on Wednesday. Nelson Teich, an oncologist and known supporter of Bolsonaro's presidential campaign, will replace Mandetta.

The newly appointed health minister said he would be prioritizing jobs and health. He also said he would not be making any sudden decisions. "Everything will be based on science," he added.

Brazil now has 30,891 cases, with over 1,952 reported fatalities. Beds in the country's hospitals have been filling up. Authorities fear the health system is already on the verge of collapse.

Fears are also growing within Brazil's indigenous communities following the death of a 15-year-old Yanomami boy due to coronavirus-related complications. The boy was the third member of the numerous indigenous communities to die of the disease.