Brazilian Citizenship Minister Onyx Lorenzoni announced that he had tested positive for Covid-19 a few hours before Milton Ribeiro, Minister of Education, revealed that he was also infected.
In a series of tweets, Lorenzoni wrote that he was examined after he started showing symptoms last Friday. He said he had started the treatment called the “Covid kit,” a cocktail of drugs promoted by some doctors who support Bolsonaro’s claim that it is an effective treatment in the early stages of the new coronavirus.
“I have been following the azithromycin, ivermectin and chloroquine protocol since Friday and I am already feeling the positive effects,” Lorenzoni wrote on his Twitter account.
The Brazilian Society for Infectious Diseases (OSI), in a report published Friday, urged medical professionals to stop using hydroxychloroquine to treat the coronavirus, because it has been shown to be ineffective and can cause collateral damage.
A week earlier, Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency, ANVISA, which regulates pharmaceuticals, released a statement saying there is no conclusive evidence that ivermectin is effective as a Covid-19 treatment.
The other minister, Ribeiro, tweeted on Monday: “I just received a positive Covid-19 result this morning. I am already medicated and will be working remotely,” but he did not specify what medication he is taking. He is working from a hotel in the capital, Brasilia, the minister’s press official told CNN Brazil.
Although the President was wearing a mask, several aides flanked him closely and did not appear to maintain a significant social distance from him. He repeatedly lowered his mask as he spoke, even when the assistants were nearby.
The assembled supporters prayed for the president and sang the national anthem when a Brazilian flag was lowered, repeating scenes seen on Saturday when he made a similar appearance.
After Bolsonaro tested positive for Covid-19, several of his close ministers were evaluated in the following days. None tested positive at the time.
Taylor Barnes, Emma Reynolds and CNN journalist Juliana Arini contributed to the reports.
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