RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The governor of São Paulo, João Doria said yesterday that he is not taking chloroquine to treat Covid-19. He seized the opportunity to taunt President Jair Bolsonaro, an advocate of the drug with no scientific evidence for treating the illness.
“No way. I only take what the doctors recommended, not what President Bolsonaro recommends. And the doctors don’t recommend chloroquine. In fact, Dr. [infectologist] David Uip has not prescribed me any medication, only isolation,” the governor said in an interview with CNN Brasil.
“There was no recommendation [for chloroquine] and there wouldn’t be a recommendation for that, although I respect it, because it’s a drug that only doctors should prescribe and with the patient’s assent. But here there was no place or need,” he added.
Yesterday morning, Doria announced that he has tested positive for the disease, but that he is asymptomatic. His wife, Bia Doria, is also infected and symptom-free. They will remain at home in isolation for ten days.
“Following the principle of full transparency by which we have addressed the pandemic, I report that I was diagnosed with Covid-19. I’m fine, I have no symptoms. I will continue to work from home, complying with the medical advice for isolation. I have faith in God that I will overcome the disease,” said Doria on his Twitter account.
“I will continue to work from here, during this time that is recommended by science for those infected. I am asymptomatic, I have no pain. But I will follow all medical advice. And I have already worked today, using virtual means to continue leading the government of São Paulo,” the politician added to CNN.
“I’m careful”
In an interview in the late afternoon, Doria said that he was not shaken when he learned that he had been infected, but that he immediately planned to go into isolation.
“I wasn’t shaken, I accepted it well, with wisdom. When I was told that the test was positive, I tried to manage it,” said Doria.
“It was 15 minutes before going down to a media conference. I got a call, someone asked me to leave the room because it was urgent, and I was told that my test was positive”.
According to the governor, he was always “extremely careful” and defined the virus as “unpredictable.”
“And the fact that I don’t have any symptoms doesn’t exempt people from taking it very seriously. Because Covid kills, it killed more than 103 thousand Brazilians; it’s not the flu, it’s not a cold, it’s not a passing thing.”
Civil Servants will be tested
Health Secretary Jean Gorinchteyn said yesterday that all staff who spent more than 15 minutes and stood less than one meter away from Doria will be tested.
The list includes Secretaries Flavio Amary, of Housing, and Patricia Ellen, of Economic Development.
Source: UOL