Brazil’s first lady tests positive for COVID-19

Brazilian first lady Michelle Bolsonaro has tested positive for COVID-19 weeks after her husband, President Jair Bolsonaro, announced he had done the same. 

She is in “good health” and following established health protocols, according to a Wednesday statement. Michelle Bolsonaro is being monitored by a presidential medical team.

The president and first lady on Wednesday attended a public event in Brasilia, where she wore a face mask while delivering remarks about an initiative for women in rural areas and indigenous communities, NPR reported.

The news of Michelle Bolsonaro’s infection came on the same day that the country’s science and technology minister Marcos Pontes shared on Twitter that has also tested positive for coronavirus. Pontes is the fifth member of Bolsonaro’s Cabinet to contract the disease. 

Acabei de receber teste positivo para o novo coronavirus. Estou bem, só um pouco de sintoma de gripe e dor de cabeça. Agora em isolamento. Vai dar tudo certo. Sigo cumprindo minha agenda de forma remota e, obedecendo o período de distanciamento social para plena pic.twitter.com/plE9uZF0bv

— Marcos Pontes (@Astro_Pontes) July 30, 2020

Jair Bolsonaro said last week that he tested negative for coronavirus after announcing that he had contracted the disease on July 7. The leader has not avoided public events since the start of the pandemic and has repeatedly downplayed the effect of the disease.

The Brazilian president also announced earlier this month that he was taking hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug that has been touted by President Trump as a treatment for COVID-19.

Several studies have shown that hydroxychloroquine is not effective to treat COVID-19 and that it can lead to health risks, such as heart rhythm irregularities.

Bolsonaro’s administration on Wednesday reopened the country’s borders to international air travel, which had been banned since March. Foreign tourists must be able to show that they have health insurance for the duration of their trip, The New York Times reported.

Brazil has the second-highest number of coronavirus cases in the world, behind the United States. The country has confirmed over 2.5 million COVID-19 cases and 90,134 fatalities.