Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro announced on Wednesday that he tested positive again for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The result was released just a week after he was first diagnosed. 

Jair Bolsonaro
(Photo : Reutersconnect)
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro looks on after a meeting at the Ministry of Defense headquarters, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Brasilia, Brazil.

Bolsonaro has downplayed the coronavirus and described it as "a little flu." Now, the Brazilian president tested positive for COVID-19 and said he is taking the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, and an antibiotic, to fight the coronavirus. 

Neither of the drugs have been proven to be an effective treatment for COVID-19.

Bolsonaro, who had his second coronavirus test on Tuesday, has been in quarantine nearly a week at his official residence in Brasilia. He said he would continue to work by video conference.

The 65-year-old Brazilian president has been controversial in dealing with the global pandemic. He pushed back against state and city lockdowns and oftentimes roam around the country without wearing a face mask, according to a report published in the U.S. News.

During a telephone interview with him from the news outlet, he said he cannot stand with the routine of staying at home and also shared that he was waiting anxiously to have the clearance to leave the house. 

Bolsonaro also said that he is asymptomatic and did not experience any respiratory illness since he first tested for the coronavirus on July 7. The Brazilian president firmly believed that he is in good condition and will resume his normal work once he will test negative in the coming days.

Meanwhile, Bolsonaro said he felt better a day after taking hydroxychloroquine, an unproven medicine for coronavirus.

The drug has been pushed by some other countries as a COVID-19 treatment. However, its effectiveness to treat coronavirus has not been proven yet. In fact, the scientific and medical communities are divided for and against the drug. 

The Brazilian president attended the flag ceremony on the grounds of the Presidential Palace on Wednesday. At that time, he wore a face mask and remained his distance with others, who attended the flag ceremony. A different Bolsonaro was seen and not the one, who sidelined the medical experts in handling the coronavirus pandemic.

After downplaying the virus, Brazil is now the second worst-hit country in the world by COVID-19 after the United States.

Since the pandemic began, two health ministers resigned from their posts. Brazil's Ministry of Health is now being led by an active army general through an interim basis who is said to remain in the role for the time being. Appointing an army general under Bolsonaro's time is not new anymore. The Brazilian president was also a former army captain. 

In a data obtained from Worldometers, Brazil now has over 1.9 million COVID-19 cases with a death toll of over 75,000.

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