Michelle Bolsonaro, the wife of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, was injected with an anti-Covid vaccine this week in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, and has been accused of undermining the credibility of the vaccination campaign in Brazil.
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“Receiving the vaccine is a personal decision. My wife, for example, decided to get the vaccine in the United States. Me no”, said the far-right head of state in an interview published Friday by the magazine Look. Jair Bolsonaro, who assures him that he would be the “latest” Brazilian to be vaccinated, was in New York on Monday and Tuesday, and gave the opening speech of the United Nations General Assembly, as tradition dictates.
“Junk patriotism”
Some politicians and infectious diseases, interviewed by the online media G1, criticized the decision of the first lady, believing that she has “Despised” the vaccination campaign carried out by the Brazilian public system. “First, you have to congratulate her on having been vaccinated. The vaccine saves, she did well, 10 out of 10 “, said Senator Omar Aziz. On another side, “0 out of 10 because the vaccine injected in the United States is the same as in Brazil. So she could have been vaccinated here; showing Brazilians that she is immunized could set a good example. There, yes, we would have seen real patriotism, not junk patriotism ”. Epidemiologist Pedro Hallal told G1 that this injection carried out abroad “Shows contempt for SUS (public health system) and all Brazilians. It shows a lack of confidence. ”
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Following the outcry, the government explained in a statement that Michelle Bolsonaro had done a PCR test to return to Brazil, and it was then that a doctor asked her if she wanted “Take the opportunity to get vaccinated”, and “As she was already planning to receive an immunizer, she decided to accept”. “The first lady reiterates her admiration and respect for the Brazilian health system, in particular the professionals of the sector who tirelessly dedicate themselves to taking care of the health of the population”, also advances the press release.
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