Sep 22, 2021 - Health

Brazil's health minister tests positive for COVID during UN summit in N.Y.

Rebecca Falconer

President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro (L) applauds Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga ( in Brasilia, Brazil, in May. Photo by Andressa Anholete/Getty Images — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (L) and Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga in Brasilia, Brazil, in May. Photo: Andressa Anholete/Getty Images

Brazilian Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga has tested positive for COVID-19 while in New York City for the UN General Assembly (UNGA), he confirmed Tuesday night.

Why it matters: Hours earlier, Queirog had accompanied Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to the UNGA. The Biden administration expressed concern last week that the gathering of world leaders could become a coronavirus "superspreader event."

Details: Queiroga tweeted that he's entering quarantine and would follow all health protocols.

Brazil's health ministry said in a statement to news outlets that the "minister is doing well" and that the other Brazilian delegates at the UN gathering had tested negative for the virus.
Queiroga told CNN Brazil that he wore a mask when he attended UN meetings.

Of note: Bolsonaro, who's repeatedly railed against pandemic measures and has been fined by São Paulo's state government for not wearing a mask, tweeted video of himself without a face covering as he greeted supporters in New York.

Queiroga posted a photo to Twitter of a meeting he attended Monday with Bolsonaro, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other delegates. Queiroga was wearing a mask in the photo.

Flashback: Brazil's Bolsonaro tests positive for coronavirus

Editor's note: This article has been updated with details of Queiroga's meeting on Monday.

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Brazil's health minister tests positive for COVID during UN summit in N.Y.

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