In a bizarre remark about COVID-19 vaccines, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said the vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech could turn people into ‘crocodiles’ or ‘bearded ladies’. Earlier this weak, when Brazil launched its massive vaccination campaign, Bolsonaro said he will not be vaccinated. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic around the world, the Brazilian president has been skeptical of the virus, calling it a “minor flu.”
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Brazil’s Bolsonaro attacks the COVID-19 vaccine
According to local media reports, Jair Bolsonaro said he does not need the COVID-19 vaccine because he has already tested positive for the Coronavirus, which is why his body has developed the antibodies for the virus. This statement from the country’s president comes when the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine was being tested in Brazil. Meanwhile, Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is already being used in the United States and Great Britain.
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At the launch of the immunization campaign in Brazil on Wednesday, Bolsonaro said that while the Coronavirus vaccine is free, it is not mandatory for everyone to get vaccinated. On Thursday, Brazil’s Supreme Court passed a ruling stating that vaccination is mandatory, but cannot be “forced” on people. According to this latest ruling, the country’s government can fine people for not being vaccinated and even ban them from certain public areas, but cannot force them to take it.
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Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, Brazil has registered more than 7.1 million positive cases so far, of which nearly 1.85,000 people have succumbed to the disease.
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