RIO DE JANEIRO, March 13. /TASS/. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro informed on Facebook on Friday that he had tested negative for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

"The military hospital has confirmed that President of the Republic Jair Bolsonaro has tested negative for COVID-19," the Facebook post informs. The politician has published the message accompanied by a photo where he is making an offensive gesture.

Earlier on Friday, Brazil’s O Dia daily informed that Bolsonaro had allegedly tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The Fox News TV channel reported the same information, allegedly citing the Brazilian leader’s son, Eduardo Bolsonaro.

Earlier, it was reported that Bolsonaro’s press secretary Fabio Wajngarten, who formed part of the delegation that returned from Miami on Wednesday, had contracted the novel coronavirus. During the trip to the USA, he was in close contact with the Brazilian president. The official also published a photo on Instagram with US President Donald Trump and US Vice President Mike Pence.

Wajngarten was quarantined. Bolsonaro, who will be 65 on March 21, and members of the Brazilian delegation, including ministers of defense, state security and energy, have all provided test samples for COVID-19. The results are expected on March 13.

The first case of COVID-19 was documented in Brazil on February 26. Currently, there are 150 confirmed cases in the country, with five people receiving hospital treatment. The rest are quarantined at home. About 1,500 people are under surveillance for the virus, while over 1,100 people have tested negative for COVID-19.

In late December 2019, Chinese authorities notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about an outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, central China. On March 11, WHO officially characterized the situation with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as a pandemic. The disease has spread to over 110 countries. According to official data, over 134,000 people have been infected with the virus globally, and over 5,000 have died. There are 45 confirmed cases in Russia.