Bolsonaro Touts Unproven Hydroxychloroquine To Treat His COVID-19 Infection; Group Of Journalists To Sue Brazilian President For Taking Off Mask During Interview

AP: Bolsonaro now ‘poster boy’ for dubious COVID-19 treatment
“After months of touting an unproven anti-malaria drug as a treatment for the new coronavirus, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is turning himself into a test case live before millions of people as he swallows hydroxychloroquine pills on social media and encourages others to do the same. Bolsonaro said this week that he tested positive for the virus but already felt better thanks to hydroxychloroquine. Hours later he shared a video of himself gulping down what he said was his third dose. ‘I trust hydroxychloroquine,’ he said, smiling. ‘And you?’ On Wednesday, he was again extolling the drug’s benefits on Facebook, and claimed that his political opponents were rooting against it…” (Biller et al., 7/9).

NPR: Brazil’s Bolsonaro Sued For Unmasking As He Announced Positive Test For COVID-19
“A group representing Brazilian journalists says it will file suit against the country’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, after he took off a protective mask as he spoke with reporters about his COVID-19 diagnosis. The Brazilian Press Association, or ABI, said in a statement that Bolsonaro had unnecessarily endangered a small group of journalists who interviewed him at his official residence. At one point during the interview on Tuesday, Bolsonaro, who is 65, backed away from reporters and then removed his mask, ostensibly to show that he was doing well…” (Neuman, 7/8).

Additional coverage of Bolsonaro is available from The Hill and New York Times.

The KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report summarized news and information on global health policy from hundreds of sources, from May 2009 through December 2020. All summaries are archived and available via search.

KFF Headquarters: 185 Berry St., Suite 2000, San Francisco, CA 94107 | Phone 650-854-9400
Washington Offices and Barbara Jordan Conference Center: 1330 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005 | Phone 202-347-5270

www.kff.org | Email Alerts: kff.org/email | facebook.com/KFF | twitter.com/kff

The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news, KFF is a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California.