Bolsonaro’s Health Minister gets on senators’ nerves

Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga’s evasive answers to the Senate’s Covid hearings committee today have left the inquiry’s members infuriated.

Questioned several times about his opinion on the use of antimalarial drug chloroquine to treat Covid-19, the country’s top health official refused to give a clear answer on where he stands in relation to the medicine touted by President Jair Bolsonaro.

“Minister, you seem unable to answer yes or no,” said an exasperated Senator Otto Alencar. “What I asked was very clear: do you or do you not agree with the Brazilian Society of Cardiology, which stated verbatim that it does not recommend the use of hydroxychloroquine?”

Others tried to remind Mr. Queiroga that he was under oath. “Don’t you have an opinion on that yet? For God’s sake…” complained Senator Tasso Jereissati.

Elsewhere, when asked about President Bolsonaro’s threat to issue a decree banning social isolation measures, Mr. Queiroga was once again evasive, saying it was not up to him to make a “value judgement” on the president’s actions.

After the largely timid depositions of former Health Ministers Luiz Henrique Mandetta and Nelson Teich earlier this week — as well as the decision to postpone Eduardo Pazuello’s testimony until May 19 — the Covid hearings have been something of a damp squib so far. Next week, the committee will hear former government press secretary Fábio Wajngarten, as well as representatives of vaccine manufacturers and labs.

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