Bolsonaro Proclaims Hydroxychloroquine 'Is Certainly Working'

Jair Bolsonaro downs hydroxychloroquine in Facebook video to treat his COVID-19
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 8, 2020 6:01 AM CDT
Updated Jul 8, 2020 6:53 AM CDT
Bolsonaro Downs Hydroxycloroquine in Facebook Vid
In this May 15, 2020, file photo, Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro wears a mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic during an event in Brasilia, Brazil.   (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro says he's confident he'll swiftly recover from COVID-19 thanks to treatment with hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malaria drug that hasn't been proven effective against the coronavirus. Bolsonaro said he tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday after months of downplaying its severity while deaths mounted rapidly inside his country. The president told reporters he underwent a lung X-ray on Monday after experiencing fever, muscle aches, and malaise. As of Tuesday, his fever had subsided, he said, and he attributed the improvement to hydroxychloroquine. The 65-year-old stepped back from the journalists and removed his mask at one point to show that he looked well. "I'm, well, normal," he said. "I even want to take a walk around here, but I can't due to medical recommendations."

Later Tuesday, he put up a Facebook video of him taking a third dose of hydroxychloroquine, which has also been promoted by President Trump. "Today I'm a lot better, so certainly it's working," Bolsonaro said. "We know today there are other remedies that can help fight the coronavirus. We know none of them have their efficacy scientifically proven, but I'm one more person for whom this is working. So I trust hydroxychloroquine. And you?" Bolsonaro has often appeared in public to shake hands with supporters and mingle with crowds, at times without a mask. He has said his history as an athlete would protect him from the virus and that it would be nothing more than a "little flu" if he were to contract it. More than 66,000 Brazilians have died from COVID-19, and over 1.6 million have been infected. Both numbers are the world's second-highest totals, behind those of the US.

(More Jair Bolsonaro stories.)

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