Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is currently facing a criminal complaint filed by the Brazilian Press Association to the country's Supreme Court on Thursday after he removed his face mask amid an interview aired on Brazilian TV where he announced that he tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Adding to the more than 1.7million cases in the country, Bolsonaro announced that he has contracted the virus on Tuesday. Brazil is currently ranked second in the world for countries that received the hardest hit of the pandemic. More than 68,000 have succumbed to the disease in the country.
According to NPR, several journalists were pulled from their jobs by Brazilian broadcasters after they were exposed to the president during the interview. The said journalists will be placed in quarantine until the results of their tests come out negative.
In the complaint filed by the press association, they are claiming that Bolsonaro has committed crimes which placed people's lives in danger or putting one under imminent health risk. Moreover, they said that another one of his misdemeanors is that he failed to prevent the spread of the disease by exposing himself to people while having full knowledge that he was sick with an infectious illness.
At the moment, the 65-year-old Brazilian president is under quarantine and has claimed that he is feeling well. It is already known that Bolsonaro's relationship with journalists is not good as he had alleged several times that the media is quick to give fake news unfavorable to the administration, Reuters reported.
Meanwhile, the office of the president did not give any more comments on his condition.
Read also: Two Lysol Products Proven Effective in Warding-Off COVID-19 from Surfaces
Bolsonaro continues to boost hydroxychloroquine
After downplaying the severity of the virus for months now, Bolsonaro has caught the COVID-19 disease. However, he stated that he is quickly feeling better after he has taken the drug hydroxychloroquine.
Hydroxychloroquine is an anti-malarial drug that has made headlines in the past months after several claims that it helps in easing the symptoms of COVID-19. Bolsonaro is one of the many who has put their faith in the drug believing that it could help in COVID-19 therapy.
According to Aljazeera, on Wednesday, just a day following his announcement that he has caught the disease, the Brazilian president called out those who are against the use of hydroxychloroquine. He said that he wanted to inform everyone who is against the drug but have proposed no alternatives that it has worked for him and he is now feeling well.
However, Bolsonaro's claims contradict the studies that have been performed by several researchers from the United Kingdom, the United States, and even the World Health Organization. The WHO has found that both hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are ineffective in against the disease and they may also pose deadly side-effects to the heart.
It can be recalled that despite the lockdowns and strict public health measures that were imposed globally, Bolsonaro has repeatedly downplayed the effects of COVID-19 and even referred to it as a "little flu."
Related article: Fact Check: Does Wearing Face Mask Causes Oxygen Deficiency?
