Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro told CNN affiliate CNN Brasil on Wednesday that he had tested positive again for Covid-19, just over two weeks after his initial test came back positive.
Bolsonaro, who spoke to a CNN Brasil reporter on the phone, has been working in semi-isolation from the presidential residence since July 7, when he first announced he had tested positive.
He initially said he had a low-grade fever, but he didn’t come down with any serious symptoms. A long-time proponent of the controversial malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, Bolsonaro announced he was taking it and has repeatedly said he believes the drug has helped him.
The Brazilian Society of Infectious Diseases, in a report published last week, urged medical professionals to stop using hydroxychloroquine to treat coronavirus, because it has been proved ineffective and can cause collateral damage.
Bolsonaro, who spent months downplaying the virus, often strolls out on the grounds of the presidential palace to greet supporters, and has continued to do so since his positive diagnosis earlier this month.
On Tuesday, he told the crowd gathered there that he hoped his latest test, the third since becoming infected, would come back negative so he could get back to work.
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