Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro fired his health minister on Thursday after a series of disagreements over government efforts to contain the new coronavirus.
“I just heard from the President Jair Bolsonaro the news of my dismissal from the health ministry,” Luiz Henrique Mandetta posted on his verified Twitter profile, adding that he wished success to his replacement, who is yet to be named officially.
Mandetta, a doctor, garnered popular support for his pandemic response that included promotion of broad isolation measures enacted by state governors.
However, Bolsonaro repeatedly characterised the virus as a “little flu”, said shutting down the economy would cause more damage
