Brazil's Bolsonaro rejects COVID-19 shot, calls masks taboo

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro says he won't take any working COVID-19 vaccine himself and calls use of masks to limit spre of disease “ last taboo to fall.”

Bolsonaro's comments, brocast on his social media channels Thursday night, alarmed health experts who said y could undermine efforts to achieve vaccination levels essential to halting pandemic and might scare off vaccine makers negotiating with local authorities.

Bolsonaro also said, however, that any shot that is certified by Brazil's health ncy will be available for free to public.

Brazilian president, who contracted virus in July, has long resisted vice of most scientists and health experts to restrict social and ecomic activity, arguing that dam from a lockdown would be worse than pandemic.

He also repeatedly promoted an anti-malarial drug as cure for disease despite scientific studies finding it ineffective and possibly dangerous, and criticized state goverrs testing a Chinese shot at home.

“I tell you; I will t take (any vaccine). It is my right and I am sure that Congress will t create difficulties for whoever doesn't want to take a vaccine," he said.

"If it is effective, lasting, reliable, whoever doesn't take it will be doing harm only to himself, and who takes vaccine will t be infected. re's thing to worry about,” Bolsonaro said.

A study published July 15 in American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that social distancing measures can safely be halted if at least 75% of population gets a vaccine that is more than 70% effective. Tests have shown some vaccine candidates have a potential efficacy higher than that.

“Bolsonaro's statements are a horrible sign,” said Miguel Lago, executive director of Brazil’s Institute for Health Policy Studies, which vises public health officials.

“If he were a less popular president, this might have little effect, but he is hero of a lot of people," Lago told Associated Press. "His hardcore supporters might t get a shot and that will generate more political dispute on right t to get vaccinated. That will make it harder for Brazil to get above that minimum level of 70, 75% of population vaccinated, which is key for life to go back to some kind of rmal.”

Some sensitive groups, such as cancer patients and pregnant women, may t be able to take COVID-19 vaccines and will still be susceptible to virus.

More than 171,000 people have died of COVID-19 in Brazil, second only to United States.

“Forcing people to take vaccine or say that who doesn’t take it cant get a passport, have a public job, that’s dictatorship”, Brazilian president said. “Whoever defends that is a dictator. Or a false dictator that is willing to do business with lives of ors.”

Brazil’s federal government has a deal to get up to 100 million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine candidate if it works. Or developers, such as Pfizer, are reportedly offering deals to Bolsonaro’s ministration. Sao Paulo state, epicenter of crisis in Brazil, has an agreement to buy a vaccine me by Chinese company Sivac, which is in final phase of testing.

Bolsonaro also cast doubt on use of masks to halt spre despite fact most health experts, including Lago, say numerous studies since pandemic began have found m to be effective.

“ matter of masks, re will be a serious study sometime to talk about effectiveness of mask,” Bolsonaro said. “It is last taboo to fall.”

At beginning of pandemic, Bolsonaro often ventured out of Brazil's presidential palace unmasked to greet supporters, which he did less frequently after contracting virus himself.