Brazil's Health Minister tests positive for COVID at UN General Assembly

Brazil's Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga tested positive for COVID-19 hours after attending the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City.

He tweeted an update that - after being translated into English - read, "I inform everyone that I tested positive for #Covid19 today. I'll be quarantined in #EUA and will adhere to all health-related regulations. In the meantime, the @minsaude will stay steadfast in its efforts to combat the pandemic in Brazil. Let's win this."

He will be quarantined in New York for 14 days. Brazilian ambassadors, on the other hand, will not attend any sessions at the annual event until September 24.

The health minister is a member of the Brazilian team accompanying President Jair Bolsonaro, who gave the opening speech at the United Nations General Assembly on September 21. He had been immunised with the CoronaVac vaccine, which was made in China.

Jair Bolsonaro fined by the state government

Bolsonaro, who has railed against pandemic precautions and been fined by the state government of So Paulo for not wearing a mask, previously stated that his government has successfully provided first doses to the majority of people, but that he opposes vaccine passports and the forced vaccination of anyone. Bolsonaro was infected with COVID-19 last year and has stated multiple times that he would be the "the last" Brazilian to get inoculated. Getting a shot, he explained, that it was a personal and medical decision.

UNGA gathering can be a 'superspreader': Joe Biden 

Last week, the Biden administration expressed fear that the gathering of international leaders could devolve into a 'superspreader' event of Coronavirus. More than two dozen world leaders attended the United Nations General Assembly on the first day of its annual high-level gathering for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

At the nearly week-long meeting's opening session on September 21, speaker after speaker lamented the disparities and deep divisions that have impeded a united global response to the COVID-19 outbreak, which has killed nearly 4.6 million lives and is still raging, as well as the failure to adequately address the climate crisis affecting the globe.

COVID-19 and climate change will undoubtedly remain important priorities for world leaders. However, the focus of the United Nations agenda on September 22 is on the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the contentious United Nations World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, which was dominated by disputes over the Middle East and slavery's legacy.

Image: MQueiroga2/Twitter