Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has launched an attack on coronavirus vaccines, even suggesting that the one developed by Pfizer-BioNTech could turn people into crocodiles or bearded ladies.
The far-right leader has been skeptical of the coronavirus since it first surfaced late last year, calling it ‘a little bit of the flu’. This week, he insisted he should not be vaccinated even during the launch of the country’s massive vaccination program.
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“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, ”Bolsonaro said Thursday.
That vaccine has been tested in Brazil for weeks and is already used in the United States and Great Britain.
“If you get superhuman, if a woman starts to grow a beard or if a man starts talking in an effeminate voice, they have nothing to do with it,” he said, referring to the drug manufacturers.
But the Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the vaccine was mandatory, although it could not be “forced” on people.
That means authorities can fine people for not being vaccinated and ban them from certain public areas, but not force them to take it.
Brazil has recorded more than 7.1 million cases and nearly 185,000 deaths from Covid-19 among its 212 million residents.
Bolsonaro said that once a vaccine is certified by Brazilian regulatory agency Anvisa, “it will be available to anyone who wants it. But I, 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? “
There have been a small number of cases of apparent reinfection, although there is no certainty whether a person can be reinfected or how long immunity lasts.
Bolsonaro caught the virus in July, but recovered within three weeks.
Brazil is in the midst of a second wave of coronavirus infections.
After peaking in June to August, cases had declined, but that changed in November.
On Thursday, Brazil surpassed 1,000 daily deaths from Covid-19 for the first time since September.
The country’s immunization program has been widely criticized for being late and chaotic, not least given Bolsonaro’s backlash.