Brazilian President Refuses to Take Coronavirus Vaccine

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stated Thursday that he will not take a coronavirus vaccine.

In statements broadcast live over multiple social media platforms, Bolsonaro added that Congress was unlikely to require Brazilians to take a vaccine.

“I’m telling you, I’m not going to take it. It’s my right,” he stated.

Bolsonaro also expressed skepticism over mask-wearing effectiveness in the broadcast, hinting that there was little conclusive evidence of the effectiveness of masks in containing the transmission of the virus.

The Brazilian President has repeatedly said that the Brazilians will not be required to be vaccinated when a coronavirus vaccine becomes widely available, despite Brazil has the second-highest number of coronavirus deaths in the world.

In October, he even joked in a tweet on Twitter that vaccination would be required only for his dog.