The far-right politician said the contract signed with the drug company does not cover against side effects of the vaccination, including – and this is the bizarre part – people turning into crocodiles or women growing beards.
Just another normal day in the Bolsonaro household, it seems.
To be fair, he is rather because of this kind of skepticism around the coronavirus. He described it as ‘a little bit of the flu’ and said he wouldn’t get the vaccine, despite being in charge of the country’s massive vaccination program.
However, these comments are by far his strangest yet.
On Thursday, Bolsonaro said, “In the Pfizer contract, it is very clear, ‘we are not responsible for any side effects.’ If you turn into a crocodile, that’s your problem.
“If you become superhuman, if a woman starts to grow a beard or if a man starts talking in an effeminate voice, [Pfizer] will have nothing to do with it. “
The vaccine is currently being tested in Brazil, but has already been approved for use in both the UK and the United States.
In launching his country’s vaccination campaign, Bolsonaro said it would be free for Brazilians to get vaccinated, but it wouldn’t be mandatory.
However, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that while they are not going to force anyone to get the vaccine, it would be “mandatory.”
That means people who refuse to get the shot could be fined or banned from certain public areas.
11 days agoIt remains to be seen whether they will impose those same rules on President Bolsonaro or not.
Brazil has struggled during the coronavirus pandemic, registering more than 7.1 million cases and about 185,000 deaths out of a population of 212 million people.
President Bolsonaro said once a vaccine is approved by their regulatory agency, they will bring it to the public, but not him.
He explained, “It will be available to anyone who wants it. But I will not be vaccinated.”
‘Some people say I’m setting a bad example. But to the idiots, to the idiots who say this, I say I’ve already contracted the virus, I have the antibodies, so why get yourself vaccinated? “
Bolsonaro already had the virus in July and recovered within three weeks. However, it is not clear how long immunity lasts after passing the virus, and there have been cases of reinfection.