Brazil lost its second health minister in a month as President Jair Bolsonaro's insistence on reopening the economy and the use of certain controversial treatments clashes with scientific recommendations and the coronavirus pandemic death toll surges.
Nelson Teich, who took over the post in April after Bolsonaro fired his predecessor amid a clash over social distancing measures, stepped down on Friday, the government said. The health ministry gave no details on who will replace him in the post, saying a press conference will be held later today.
Local media had reported Bolsonaro was pressuring Teich to recommend the widespread use of malaria drug chloroquine, which he has touted since the beginning of the crisis, to treat the pandemic. Teich had said treatments using the drug are an "uncertainty."
Though he avoided publicly clashing with the president on social distancing, Bolsonaro's growing push to reopen the economy at all costs placed Teich in a bind. During a press conference earlier this week, Teich was caught off guard when a reporter asked him about Bolsonaro's latest edict adding gyms, beauty salons and barbershops to the list of essential businesses that should immediately reopen.
Teich turned to his deputy and asked: "Was this announced today?" Adding, "It didn't go through the ministry."
News of the exit rattled markets as traders fretted over renewed political turbulence _ the Ibovespa stock benchmark fell as much as 1.6%, while the currency reversed earlier gains.
The pandemic has shown no signs of slowing. Brazil reported a record 13,944 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, solidifying the country as the new global hot spot for the disease. The number of infections has more than doubled in the past two weeks, pushing the total to 202,918 _ figures health officials say likely don't fully reflect the situation amid a widespread lack of testing in the nation home to 210 million people.
Nearly 14,000 Brazilians have died thus far.
