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Oct 12, 2021

Brazil’s Bolsonaro Says He Is ‘Bored’ by Questions on COVID-19 Deaths

Brazil has the world's second highest COVID-19 death toll after the US.
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, July 27, 2021. Photo: Reuters/Adriano Machado

Brasilia: Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro said on Monday that he did not want to be “bored” with questions about the milestone of 600,000 COVID-19 deaths that Latin America’s biggest country passed a few days ago.

Bolsonaro’s poll numbers have fallen due to his handling of the pandemic, rising inflation and a weak economy. Brazil has the world’s second highest COVID-19 death toll after the United States, and Bolsonaro has long sought to minimise the impact of the virus, touting unproven cures and railing against lockdowns.

Also Read: Bolsonaro’s Popularity Continues to Slip Before 2022 Brazil Race, Poll Shows

On Monday, Bolsonaro was surrounded by supporters at the beach in Guaruja, in Sao Paulo state, when a journalist asked him about the country’s death toll.

“In which country did people not die? Tell me!” he responded. “Look, I didn’t come here to be bored.”

Currently, 601,011 people have died from COVID-19 in Brazil, with over 21.5 million cases total.

(Reuters)

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