Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has tested positive for Covid-19, Bolsonaro himself announced, speaking on Brazilian TV channels Tuesday.
"Everyone knew that it would reach a considerable part of the population sooner or later. It was positive for me,” Bolsonaro said, referring to the Covid-19 tests he took Monday.
Brazil’s Ministry of Communications said in a statement that the president maintains a good state of health and is, at that moment, at the Palácio da Alvorada.
Some background: Bolsonaro had a Covid-19 test and a lung scan at a Brasilia hospital Monday evening. He told his supporters gathered outside the Presidential Palace in Brasilia after returning from the hospital, that he had undergone tests and had gotten a lung screening which came back “clean.”
As he awaited the results of his latest Covid-19 test, Bolsonaro was being treated with hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, Bolsonaro said in a phone call with CNN affiliate CNN Brasil.
CNN Brasil also reported Monday that the president said he was showing symptoms consistent with Covid-19, including a 38 degree Celsius fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit). Bolsonaro's office told CNN Brasil Tuesday that his temperature was normal.
Bolsonaro has derided coronavirus as just a "little flu," and previously appeared in public and at rallies without a mask, even hugging supporters.
He has encouraged the country to reopen, even as the number of cases rises, and has criticized local governments' efforts to stamp out the virus through social distancing measures, such as quarantine and shelter-in-place orders.
Brazil's latest Covid-19 figures: Brazil is second only to the US in numbers of coronavirus infections and deaths. More than 65,000 people have died of the virus in Brazil, according to figures released by the country's health ministry on Monday, and 1,623,284 cases have been confirmed so far.
With reporting from Sara John, Marcia Reverdosa and Taylor Barnes
This post has been updated to show that Bolsonaro spoke to CNN Brasil about being treated with hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin as he awaited Covid-19 results.
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