COVID-19 Vaccine Can Turn People Into 'Crocodiles', Claims Brazilian President

A month after saying that he will not take COVID-19 vaccine, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has landed himself in a controversy again.

This time he said that vaccine which is being developed by Pfizer-BioNTech could turn people into 'crocodiles' or 'bearded ladies', depending on what people would think is the worst.

AFP

The far-right leader has been dismissive of the coronavirus since it first emerged late last year, branding it ¡°a little flu.¡± This week he insisted he would not be vaccinated, even while launching the country¡¯s mass inoculation program.

"In the Pfizer contract, it's very clear: 'we're not responsible for any side effects.," he said on Thursday.

Reuters

Vaccine already in use in US

That vaccine has been undergoing tests in Brazil for weeks and is already being used in the United States and Britain.

"If you turn into a crocodile, it's your problem. If you become superhuman, if a woman starts to grow a beard or if a man starts to speak with an effeminate voice, they will not have anything to do with it," he said referring to the drug manufacturers.

Bolsonaro also said that the vaccine will be free in the country, but taking it will not be mandatory while launching the immunization campaign on Wednesday,

But the Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the vaccine was obligatory, although could not be ¡°forced¡± on people.

That means authorities can fine people for not being vaccinated and ban them from certain public spaces, but not force them to take it.

AP

7.1 million cases in Brazil

Meanwhile, Brazil has recorded more than 7.1 million cases and death toll rose to 185,650 on Friday after 823 more patients died from the disease in the previous 24 hours, the Ministry of Health said.

In the same period, tests detected 52,544 cases of infection, raising the total caseload to 7,162,978 since the start of the outbreak in Brazil on February 26.

The federal government published a resolution in the Government Gazette announcing that, as of December 30, both Brazilians and foreigners arriving at airports must be able to present negative results of a COVID-19 test. Land and coastal borders will remain closed.

Reuters

Bolsonaro had said that once a vaccine has been certified by Brazil¡¯s regulatory agency Anvisa, ¡°it will be available for everyone that wants it. But me, I won¡¯t get vaccinated.¡±

¡°Some people say I¡¯m giving a bad example. But to the imbeciles, to the idiots that say this, I tell them I¡¯ve already caught the virus, I have the antibodies, so why get vaccinated?¡±

There have been a small number of cases of apparent reinfection although there is no certainty over whether a person can be reinfected or how long immunity lasts.