sick man

After months of downplaying coronavirus, Brazil’s antigay president tests positive for COVID-19

After months of downplaying the coronavirus, calling it nothing more than a “little flu” and vetoing a bill to distribute masks to the poor, Brazil’s homophobic president Jair Bolsonaro has tested positive for COVID-19.

65-year-old Bolsonaro made the announcement on Brazilian TV channels today, telling viewers, “Everyone knew that it would reach a considerable part of the population sooner or later.”

Related: Brazil’s new president attacks LGBTQ rights on first day in office

He continued, “On Sunday, I wasn’t feeling very well. On Monday, it got worse when I started feeling tired and some muscle pain. I also had a 38-degree [Celsius] fever. Given those symptoms, the presidential doctor said there was suspicion of COVID-19.”

Bolsonaro went to hospital for a lung scan and to take a coronavirus test.

“It was positive for me,” he said.

Bolsonaro says he is taking hydroxychloroquine, the drug touted by his buddy Donald Trump that has not been proven as an effective treatment for COVID-19 and, in fact, has terrible side effects, including loosening of the skin and the inability to move the eyes.

As of Monday, over 1.6 million people in Brazil have tested positive for the virus and 65,000 people in Brazil have died of COVID-19, according to the country’s health ministry.

Related: After dining with Trump, Brazil’s antigay president Jair Bolsonaro might have coronavirus