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Two other senior Brazilian government officials tested positive for COVID-19 as the country’s epidemic surpassed the bleak milestone of 80,000 deaths, a death toll in the United States alone.
Earlier this month, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro announced that he had tested positive for the new coronavirus. Bolsonaro has consistently minimized the risk of COVID-19, calling it “small flu” and urging local leaders to lift restrictions to reduce the spread of the disease. Before testing positive, Bolsonaro had noticed in public appearances among a crowd of people, shaking hands and not dressed in a mask.
Now, the minister of citizenship, Onyx Lorenzoni, a close friend of Bolsonaro, and the Minister of Education, Milton Ribeiro, have announced on social media that they have also tested positive. Brazil’s national security adviser Augusto Heleno and the minister of mining and energy, Bento Albuquerque, had reported in the past positive tests, according to NPR.
The spread of the new coronavirus among senior officials does not bode well for the rest of the country, which is still fighting the pandemic. Brazil has recorded more than 2.1 million cases, the highest number in the world after the United States, in addition to more than 80,000 deaths. Although the daily number of new instances appears to be stagnant in recent days, it is not known whether the country may suffer from the pandemic.
The United States and Brazil are among the worst-performing countries in the world to involve the pandemic virus. But fears are developing that India will soon succeed in its ranks as instances continue to rise. Last week, India surpassed a million cases and experts expect several months to go before it peaks.
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