SAO PAULO — The governor of Brazil’s Sao Paulo state, João Doria, said Wednesday that he has tested positive for COVID-19.
Doria, a potential challenger to President Jair Bolsonaro’s 2022 reelection campaign, is the 11th Brazilian governor to contract the new coronavirus.
“I am feeling well, no symptoms,” Doria said in a video posted on his social media channels. “I will continue working from home, following the medical recommendations of isolation.”
Social distancing recommendations and quarantine measures have been the main stress point between Doria and Bolsonaro since the beginning of the pandemic. Though Sao Paulo’s governor never imposed lockdowns, he challenged the president’s frequent defiance of science-based recommendations aimed at stopping the spread of the virus.
Sao Paulo is Brazil’s most populous state, with 46 million people, where COVID-19 has claimed more than 25,000 lives — nearly one quarter of Brazil’s death toll.
Also on Wednesday, the grandmother of Brazil’s first lady died after more than a month fighting COVID-19 in a public hospital on the outskirts of capital Brasilia.
Aparecida Firmo Ferreira, 80, was the grandmother of Michelle Bolsonaro. The health secretariat of Brazil’s federal district confirmed her passing.
She had been hospitalized since July 1, having tested positive for the new coronavirus.
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Associated Press reporter Daniel Carvalho contributed to this report from Brasilia.
Mauricio Savarese, The Associated Press
