President of Brazil’s Senate Hospitalized in Brasília with Coronavirus

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Avi Alcolumbre was confirmed positive for the novel coronavirus on Wednesday evening, March 18th, according to his press office, and was admitted to the hospital early Thursday morning.

According to people close to the senator, he began to have difficulty breathing on Wednesday night and was advised by his doctor to visit the hospital for a lung scan. Faced with the result of the examination, he was admitted for observation, without any expected release.

Senator Nelsinho Trad, 58, who along with Alcolumbre is positive for coronavirus, has also been admitted to the same hospital, according to his staff.

Alcolumbre had been tested negative last week. Suffering from a cold that worsened throughout the week, the president of the Senate retook the test on Tuesday evening, March 17th. On Wednesday, the positive result for the Covid-19 was released by the Senator’s press office.

On Monday, March 16, Alcolumbre attended a meeting with the Chamber president, Rodrigo Maia, the president of the STF (Supreme Court), Dias Toffoli, five other STF justices – Luiz Fux, Rosa Weber, Gilmar Mendes, Carmen Lucia, Luis Roberto Barroso-, the Minister of Health, Luiz Henrique Mandetta, and the federal solicitor general André Mendonça.

He had been tested for the first time last Thursday evening, March 12th, because he had had contact with more than 20 ministers, deputies and advisors who had been with President Jair Bolsonaro on a trip to the United States in early March -18 members of the delegation had already been diagnosed with the Covid-19.

Among them was Senator Trad, president of the Foreign Relations Committee, who also tested positive. Trad had attended a closed meeting with the majority of the Chamber and Senate party leaders, as well as Alcolumbre and the Chamber president.

Minister of Economy Paulo Guedes, Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta,  Staff Secretary Luiz Eduardo Ramos and Central Bank President Roberto Campos Neto also attended.

Last Thursday, Alcolumbre traveled to Amazonas with six senators and 11 deputies, in addition to advisors – one of whom is displaying symptoms of a severe cold.