Jul 26, 2020 - World

Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro says he tested negative for coronavirus

Photo: EVARISTO SA/AFP via Getty Images

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro tweeted Saturday that he has tested negative for the coronavirus after three positive test results since July 7.

Why it matters: Bolsonaro, who has long downplayed the effects of COVID-19 as it ravages Brazil, is one of only a handful of world leaders known to have contracted the virus.

  • U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Monaco's Prince Albert andBolivia's interim President Jeanine Añez are the others. All have survived, though Johnson was hospitalized and spent time in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
  • Bolsonaro said he was taking hydroxychloroquine, which the FDA believes is "unlikely to be effective" in treating COVID-19.

The big picture: Brazil has reported close to 2.4 million confirmed coronavirus cases, second only to the U.S. The far-right Bolsonaro has called the virus "a little flu" and said he believes much of the population will inevitably contract it.

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