By Spy Uganda Correspondent
Brasilia: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday evening revealed that he will not take any Coronavirus vaccine with this being the latest in a series of statements he has made expressing skepticism towards Coronavirus vaccination programs.
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In statements broadcast live over multiple social media platforms, the right-wing leader added that the Congress was unlikely to require Brazilians to take a vaccine.
“I’m telling you, I’m not going to take it. It’s my right,” he said
Brazil has the second-highest number of coronavirus deaths in the world, and Bolsonaro has for months played down the seriousness of the pandemic despite being infected with the virus in July.
Brazil, with more than 6 million cases of COVID-19, is behind the United States and India with more than 170,000 deaths-according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center.
The United States added more than 181,000 cases on Thursday and registered nearly 2,300 deaths and nearly 90,500 people were hospitalized amidst worries that the thanksgiving gatherings with family and friends will lead to even more infections and hospitalizations.
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Officials in many states have put restrictions in place to slow the spread of the virus, however the U.S. Supreme Court issued a temporary order blocking New York state from enforcing attendance limits at houses of worship in areas that have infection spikes.
In a 5-4 vote, the court sided with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and two Orthodox Jewish congregations that challenged the system put in place by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The majority opinion pointed to limits of 10 or 25 people in houses of worship, while under the same designation grocery stores and other essential businesses can operate without capacity restrictions.
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Chief Justice John Roberts, the only conservative justice who did not join the majority, said in his dissent that “it is a significant matter to override determinations made by public health officials concerning what is necessary for public safety in the midst of a deadly pandemic.”
Russia on Thursday reported its record one-day increase of 25,487 COVID-19 infections, pushing its total to nearly 2.2 million. Its 524 deaths during a 24-hour span were also a record for the country.
In Germany, nearly 400 new deaths pushed that country’s toll to more than 15,000 since the pandemic began.
The German government decided in early November to close restaurants, bars and sports facilities to combat a record rise in infections. Chancellor Angela Merkel and the governors of Germany’s states agreed late Wednesday to extend the restrictions through Decemmber 2020.
There have been more than 60.8 million reported cases worldwide, with 1.4 million deaths.
According to Johns Hopkins research Center, the United States has been hit the hardest with more than 263,000 deaths, followed by Brazil with 170,000 dead, India with 135,000 and Mexico at 103,000.
