The 65-year-old, who has frequently expressed doubt at the severity of the outbreak, told reporters he had been infected. After being tested, he said: “It came back positive.” Mr Bolsonaro has frequently questioned the accuracy of scientific warnings, despite an ever-growing death toll in the South American state.
In March, when the pandemic first began to take hold, he boasted he would be able to shake off the disease if infected due to his “athlete’s background”.
The populist leader has repeatedly defied local guidelines to wear a mask in public, even after a judge ordered him to do so in late June.
Mr Bolsonaro has also railed against social distancing rules supported by the World Health Organization.
Brazil has suffered one of the world’s worst outbreaks of COVID-19.
As of this afternoon, 65,631 have died and 1,628,283 infected.
It is topped only by the US, where 133,125 have died and 3,050,476 infected.