3,000 infected in Brazil as President Bolsonaro claims 'Brazilians cannot get infected'

(Patria) – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stated that Brazilians already have coronavirus antibodies, which will not allow the spread of infection in Brazil, while the country has already recorded 3,000 cases.

The right-wing populist Bolsonaro later explained that he was trying to calm panic in case 'nothing happens'. He still claims that Latin America's strongest economy will not face a crisis like the one in the US.

- Brazilians should be studied. They never catch anything (they never get infected). You see a guy jumping into a sewer, he comes out, dives a little, right? And nothing happens to him, Bolsonaro concludes, continuing his analysis without scientific basis: 'I even think it's possible that many people in Brazil are already infected, from a couple of weeks or a month ago, and they already have antibodies that prevent the infection from spreading rapidly.'

However, data released by the local Ministry of Health say the opposite – the death toll has risen to 77, while 2,915 infections have been confirmed.

Since the end of February, a number of people have been admitted to the hospital with severe respiratory complications.

- In the last two weeks, there has been a real explosion, possibly due to the coronavirus, claim Fiocruz, a leading biomedical research center in Brazil.

Bolsonaro has been criticized for his extremely superficial and irresponsible reaction to the crisis.

Kim Kataguiri, a right-wing congressman who supported Bolsonaro until his election in 2018, but has since become a sharp critic, stated that the president's 'unpredictable, irresponsible, and populist' stance has led Brazilians into a major crisis.

- He is primarily interested in re-election, and very little in fighting the coronavirus, claims Kataguiri, adding that he is 'worried... we are facing the most severe health crisis of this century. We will likely face the worst economic crisis in Brazil's history... At this moment, we need a strong leader who will not show such a lack of responsibility and sensitivity to the situation,' the congressman emphasizes.