Brazilian Bolsonaro says he won’t take coronavirus vaccine | Latin America



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The right-wing leader adds that Congress was unlikely to force Brazilians to be vaccinated.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said Thursday evening he would not take a vaccine against the coronavirus, the latest in a series of statements he has made expressing his skepticism about the vaccination programs that many hope will end the pandemic.

In statements broadcast live on several social media platforms, the right-wing leader added that Congress was unlikely to force Brazilians to be vaccinated.

Brazil has the second highest death toll from coronavirus in the world, and for months Bolsonaro has played down the severity of the pandemic despite being diagnosed with the virus in July.

“I’m telling you, I’m not going to take it. It’s my right, ”he said.

Many countries around the world have made masks mandatory in public, and the WHO has said masks should be worn in public places where there is a risk of widespread community transmission and where physical distancing is difficult, such as in public transport, in stores or other closed. settings.

In his latest comments, Bolsonaro expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of wearing a mask, implying that there was little conclusive evidence that masks stem the transmission of the virus.

Scientists have shown that masks prevent droplets and aerosols from getting into the air, while the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emphasizes their importance in preventing the spread of disease by people who don’t. have no symptoms and do not know they are carriers of the virus. .

The president has said on several occasions that Brazilians will not be required to be vaccinated when a vaccine against the coronavirus becomes widely available.

In October, he joked on Twitter that the vaccination would only be required for his dog.

He also touted the unproven anti-malaria hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for the virus, saying he took the drug when diagnosed with COVID-19 in July.

That same month, the WHO withdrew hydroxychloroquine from its large-scale treatment trials because it did not reduce death rates in people treated in hospital for the disease.



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