Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Monday said that he did not want to be “bored” with questions on the country’s soaring COVID-19 death toll, Reuters reported.
When asked about Brazil passing 600,000 COVID-19 deaths, Bolsonaro said, “In which country did people not die? Tell me!”
Brazil is the second country to reach the grim milestone after the United States.
“Look, I did not come here to be bored,” he added.
So far, 601,011 people have died from COVID-19 in Brazil, with more than 21.5 million cases total.
Brazil has been struggling to control rising coronavirus infections, with significant portions of the population blaming Bolsonaro and his government’s handling of the pandemic. A previous report states that his approval rating has reached a new low ahead of next year’s presidential election.
Bolsonaro has also been accused of spreading misinformation regarding the coronavirus, with many doctors in the country claiming that the president is downplaying the severity of the pandemic.
He has also repeatedly said he won’t get the coronavirus vaccine.
“I’m not going to take the vaccine, period,” he said in a television interview in December, according to The Independent. “You think my life is at risk? That’s my problem, period.”
He also said last year that he will be the “last Brazilian” to get vaccinated and will not force any kind of vaccine mandate on the people of Brazil.
Last month, he was forced to isolate shortly after breaking rules and attending the United Nations General Assembly while unvaccinated. One of his aides tested positive for coronavirus following the assembly.