Former Brazilian President Bolsonaro's vaccination records are false, say authorities

Former Brazilian President Bolsonaro’s vaccination records are false, say authorities

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s vaccination records are fraudulent, according to the country’s comptroller general’s office, following an inquiry into potential manipulation with information on his COVID-19 immunisation card.

According to the data, Bolsonaro, a COVID-19 sceptic who has openly criticised the vaccination, had a shot of the immunizer in a Sao Paulo public healthcare centre in July 2021.

According to a statement, the inquiry found that the former president departed the city the day before and did not leave Brasilia until three days later.

The nurse mentioned in the documents as administering the vaccination to Bolsonaro denied doing so and was no longer employed at the facility. The listed vaccine lot was also not available on that date, the comptroller general’s office said.

It further stated that two further vaccination doses that were supposed to be administered to Bolsonaro were withdrawn from his record before to the start of the investigations, claiming they were also counterfeit.

Last May, Bolsonaro’s house in Brasilia was raided by the federal police under the vaccine probe. His cell phone was taken and a few of his assistants were taken into custody.

In the past, Bolsonaro has denied knowing about or directing the insertion of fake material into his immunisation records.

When contacted for comment, his attorney did not get back to me right away.

Bolsonaro frequently minimised the significance of vaccination and social separation measures during the epidemic while in office. He repeatedly declared that he would not be vaccinated against the illness and that he had not had one.

He also dismissed the effectiveness of vaccines and spread fears about the possible side effects of immunization, going so far as to falsely associate the vaccine with the development of AIDS.

Bolsonaro was infected with COVID-19, opens new tab in July 2020, nearly one year before the record of his first vaccine.