As the WHO declares Covid-19 a global pandemic, Brazil’s press secretary is tested for the disease (he traveled with President Bolsonaro and met U.S. President Donald Trump over the weekend). And the new defeat imposed by Congress on the government.
This text has been updated.
Covid-19 reaches Brazil’s presidential palace
The government’s Press Secretary Fábio Wajngarten has tested positive for the novel coronavirus after returning from an official visit to the U.S. According to Folha de S. Paulo columnist Monica Bergamo, who broke the story, Mr. Wajngarten will get the results today.
Why it matters. Mr. Wajngarten’s office is located within the presidential palace. And he was part of a Brazilian delegation headed by President Jair Bolsonaro that met U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday.
- A Japanese study suggests that pre-symptomatic transmission plays a key role in the outbreak. If Mr. Wajngarten tests positive, it means the Brazilian president—as well as the U.S. president and VP—could also have been exposed to the virus.
Reaction. São Paulo’s Albert Einstein Hospital wouldn’t confirm nor deny the report. On Wednesday evening, Mr. Wajngarten vented on Twitter—but didn’t exactly deny the news: “The rotten media has already talked about...