Hydroxychloroquine worked for me, says Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro

Virus-hit Bolsonaro repeats his backing for the malaria drug

This grab from a video shared on July 8, 2020 on the official Facebook page of Jair Bolsonaro (https://www.facebook.com/jairmessias.bolsonaro) shows Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro gesturing while having his hydroxychloroquine dose, after having tested positive for COVID-19. - The 65-year-old head of state shrugged off his diagnosis insisting that "life goes on" in the face of what he for months has been calling a "little flu" -- otherwise known as the global COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed the lives of 65,000 Brazilians and counting. (Photo by STRINGER / Jair Bolsonaro in Facebook / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / (https://www.facebook.com/jairmessias.bolsonaro)" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday again extolled the supposed virtues of malaria drug hydroxychloroquine to fight COVID-19, as he said that he again tested positive for the coronavirus , a week after he first announced he had become infected.

“I was medicated from the beginning with hydroxychloroquine, with a doctor's recommendation. I felt better the next day,” Mr. Bolsonaro said in a video posted on social media. “Whether it is a coincidence or not... it worked for me.”

‘In good health’

Like close ally U.S. President Donald Trump, Mr. Bolsonaro has been quick to sing the praises of hydroxychloroquine, despite scant scientific evidence that it works against the novel coronavirus.

Since catching the virus, Mr. Bolsonaro has said he remains in good health and that he would resume his normal work schedule once he tested negative.

On Wednesday, he appeared at a flag ceremony in the grounds of the presidential palace, wearing a mask and remaining at a distance from others. He said he would get tested again in a few days.

Mr. Bolsonaro has sidelined medical experts in Brazil’s handling of the pandemic, which has become the worst in the world outside the United States. He has pushed back against state and city lockdowns and often circulated in public without a mask, drawing criticism from public health specialists. The right-wing President’s pressure to use hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 in Brazil alienated two Health Ministers, who resigned in the middle of the pandemic.