Almost a week since he tested positive for COVID-19, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has announced that he simply “can't stand” being in isolation and intends to take another test.
During a phone interview with CNN Brazil, Bolsonaro said that the results of the test, which was scheduled to take place on Tuesday, "should be out in a few hours, and I will wait quite anxiously because I can't stand this routine of staying at home".
"It's horrible", the president added.
Bolsonaro further noted that he does not have problems breathing, doesn't run a fever, and hasn't lost his sense of taste.
"Tomorrow, I don't know if the new test will confirm (the virus), but if everything is fine, I'll go back to work. Of course, if it's the other way around, I'll wait a few more days," the Brazilian head of state declared. "Otherwise everything is fine. We are working by videoconference all the time and we are doing our best not to let things accumulate".
Last week, shortly after being diagnosed with COVID-19, Bolsonaro also revealed that he was taking the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine to treat the disease, claiming that it was making him feel “a lot better”.
The Brazilian president previously criticized lockdowns and restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus pandemic
As of 14 July, some 1,864,681 COVID-19 cases and 72,100 deaths have been reported in Brazil, according to the date provided by the World Health Organization, with AFP describing the country as the "second-worst hit" in the world, "after the United States".