Bolsonaro Experiencing Symptoms, Takes COVID Test

July 7, 2020 Coronavirus, Crackpots

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has scoffed at risks of the coronavirus, has undergone another test for Covid-19 shortly after the presidential palace said the right-wing leader had displayed symptoms consistent with the disease.

Bolsonaro, 65, told supporters gathered outside the presidential palace in Brasilia on Monday that he had taken a test for the virus and “everything is fine.” Speaking while wearing a face mask, he also said that a separate medical exam had shown his lungs were “clean,” according to a video broadcast on a YouTube channel.

Brazilian news sources, including a CNN affiliate, have reported that Bolsonaro has tested positive for the virus, but this has not been verified by CNBC or officially confirmed.

Brazil's President Bolsonaro has been tested for the coronavirus, following months of downplaying the severity of the disease despite the country's skyrocketing death toll. https://t.co/2Is5z3mgRK

— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) July 7, 2020