Brazil president defends his stance on coronavirus

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro defended once again defend his response to the new coronavirus.

In a recorded message broadcasted on national television on Wednesday, Bolsonaro insisted that in addition to the virus, the other big problem of Brazil is unemployment which causes "poverty, hunger and death".

He quoted the director of the World Health Organization (WHO) saying that "each country has its own peculiarities, that is, the solution is not the same for everybody" adding that the consequences of the treatment for coronavirus "can't be more harmful" than the disease.

Bolsonaro criticized the decisions taken by local governors and mayors across Brazil to apply some restrictive measure to avoid the spread of coronavirus, saying that the federal government was not asked about the length and extend of those measures.

The Supreme Court decided on Wednesday that the federal government has to respect the decisions taken by the local authorities to combat COVID-19, and can't revoke the measures.

The Brazilian president said that the country will receive raw material from India to produce hydroxychloroquine and treat the patients affected by COVID-19 as well as others with malaria, lupus and arthritis.

While the message of President Bolsonaro was broadcasted, people on the streets in Rio De Janeiro were shouting "Bolsonaro Out", protests of this kind have been taking place almost every night for more than two weeks across the country,

Brazil has the largest number of coronavirus cases in Latin America.

On Wednesday, it registered 822 deaths and more than 16,000 cases.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and could lead to death.