(Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo)
Latin America continues to be a hard-hit region and on Thursday, Bolivia's interim president confirmed that she tested COVID-19 positive.
Bolivian Interim President Infected
Bolivian Interim President Jeanine Anez announced on Thursday that she tested positive of the novel coronavirus that has infected over 42,000 people in her country.
In a statement made through Twitter, Anez revealed that she was doing "well" and will continue working on presidential tasks and government dealings while on self-quarantine.
"I feel well, I feel strong," she tweeted. Anez also thanked Bolivian frontliners who were helping the government in battling the fast-spreading disease. The government previously announced that at least seven ministers have contracted the virus.
Anez is the third world leader who tested COVID-19 positive. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was the first global leader who confirmed that he was infected with the virus.
Earlier this week, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro also announced that he tested positive. Bolsonaro is known for downplaying the virus and calling it a "little flu."
Journalist Group Announces Potential Lawsuit Against Bolsonaro
In Brazil, things have been awry since Bolsonaro announced his positive infection. A group that represents Brazilian journalists said it will file a lawsuit against the president for endangering the reporters who interviewed him during his diagnosis announcement.
The Brazilian Press Association's (ABI) president Paulo Jeronimo de Sousa said in a statement that Bolsonaro "continues to act in a criminal manner and endanger the lives of others."
De Sousa referred to the moment when Bolsonaro stepped away from journalists and removed his mask during the interview at his house on Wednesday. The move was seen as Bolsonaro showing that he was doing well despite getting infected with COVID-19.
However, ABI argued that Bolsonaro violated a Brazilian criminal code that does not allow conscious transmission of serious diseases to other people and prohibits any act of spreading contagions.
The Brazilian leader has yet to respond to ABI's statements.
Press Office Says Bolsonaro Doing Well
Meanwhile, Bolsonaro's press office announced on Thursday that the Brazilian president was in good health following his COVID-19 positive diagnosis.
The press office statement said Bolsonaro wasn't experiencing any complications and the medical team continues to monitor the 65-year-old leader's health.
The news came as the country logged 42,619 additional new coronavirus cases. On the same day, 1,220 more people succumbed to the highly-infectious disease.
As of Thursday evening, Brazil has recorded a total of 1,759,103 confirmed coronavirus infections and 69,254 deaths from the novel coronavirus. It remains the hardest-hit country in Latin America and the second hardest-hit in the world.
Mexico Logs Record-High Increase in New Cases
Over in Mexico, new COVID-19 infections have been on the rise. The country on Thursday logged a new daily record-high of 7,280 new coronavirus cases in one day.
Mexico now has a total of 282,283 confirmed coronavirus cases. With 730 additional deaths, the country's national death toll now stands at 33,526.
It is the fourth hardest-hit country in Latin America, behind Peru with 316,448 infections and Chile with 306,216 cases.
