“We do not understand why many countries are against this treatment,” Bolsonaro emphasized in New York on Tuesday about the preventive use of drugs whose effectiveness against the coronavirus has not been proven.
The right-wing head of state has emphasized several times that he has not yet been vaccinated against Corona. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio sent a message to Bolsonaro saying, “You have to get vaccinated if you want to come here.” At the UN, the “honor system” applies: anyone entering the building in New York confirms that they have not tested positive in the ten days before.
At the same time, however, Bolsonaro, who wore a protective mask at the beginning of his speech, emphasized how his government had progressed in the fight against the pandemic. “By November everyone who has decided to vaccinate in Brazil will have a turn,” he said.
According to data from the Ministry of Health in Brasília, around 222 million vaccine doses have been administered since the start of the nationwide vaccination campaign in January. Around 70 percent of adult Brazilians have received a first dose, around 38 percent are fully vaccinated.
Bolsonaro also tried to improve the image of Brazil on the controversial environmental policy. He promised measures to fight climate change and to preserve the Amazon region.
After the UN general debate last year due to the corona pandemic ended mainly with pre-recorded video speeches, more than 100 heads of state and government are again personally represented in New York this year.