Bolsonaro apologizes for spreading misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines

The former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro apologized this Sunday after wrongly stating that messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines against COVID-19 contain “graphene”, a substance that, according to him, accumulates in “testicles and ovaries”.

The far-right leader made that statement on Saturday at an event of the Liberal Party (PL)his political formation, together with his former Minister of Science and Technology and current Senator Marcos Pontes, in the interior of the state of sao paulo.

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The ex-president then maintained that he had read the prospectus for vaccines developed with mRNA that they contain “graphene” particles, a statement that today he attributed to a “mistake” on his part.

“As it is in the public domain, I am excited about the employment potential of graphene oxide and I inadvertently linked the substance with the vaccine, a fact denied in August 2021. Once again I regret what I said and I apologize”he indicated on his social networks.

Bolsonaro He governed between 2019 and 2022 and during the coronavirus pandemic he adopted a denialist stance, minimizing the severity of the virus, censoring the imposition of isolation measures, rejecting the use of masks and planting unfounded suspicions about the efficacy of vaccines.

The former head of state came to link the vaccines anticovid to AIDS in a live broadcast on their social networks, which led to the opening of an investigation in the Supreme Court related to the spread of false news.

Brazil It is one of the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus and to date has accumulated 703,399 deaths and close to 40 million cases, according to official data.

The apologies of Bolsonaro occur on the eve of the start of a trial in the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) for abuse of political power through the dissemination of false news about the elections, which could ultimately disqualify him politically.

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Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.