Brazil's health minister shook hands with a maskless Boris Johnson at the UN. Then he tested positive for COVID-19.
- Brazil's health minister announced on Tuesday that he tested positive for COVID-19.
- The announcement came just one day after he met with maskless UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
- Brazilian diplomats were told to avoid the UN headquarters on Wednesday, Brazilian media reported.
Brazil's health minister Marcelo Queiroga tweeted on Tuesday that he tested positive for COVID-19, just one day after meeting maskless UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other British officials.
During Monday's meeting at the consulate general's house, which took place alongside the 76th United Nations General Assembly in New York, Queiroga was filmed by Brazilian journalist Raquel Krähenbühl as he shook hands with Johnson, who then met with President Joe Biden on Tuesday.
"I will be quarantined in #EUA, following all health safety protocols. Meanwhile, the [Brazilian health ministry] will remain firm in the actions to fight the pandemic in Brazil. let's win this," Queiroga wrote in his tweet after announcing his positive test.
Queiroga, who was vaccinated against COVID-19 in January, reportedly also took part in meetings with UN Secretary General António Guterres and Polish president Andrzej Duda, the Guardian reported on Wednesday.
Brazil's health ministry did not immediately respond to a request from Insider for comment.
Queiroga's vaccination was promoted on Twitter and marks a stark contrast to other Brazilian officials who have been more guarded about getting their shots, the report said, like senior official Luiz Eduardo Ramos reportedly sneaking off to a mall just to get his shot.
Brazil's president Jair Bolsonaro has said he refuses to be vaccinated against COVID-19, vowing to flout NYC's restrictions on unvaccinated dining. Earlier in the Brazilian leader's trip, he was forced to eat pizza on the street since the city has barred unvaccinated diners from eating inside restaurants ahead of the General Assembly.
Bolsonaro is the only G20 leader who hasn't publicly announced they've been vaccinated.
Brazilian news site Metrópoles reported on Tuesday that the country's diplomats were told to avoid the UN headquarters on Wednesday.