“In the Pfizer contract, it’s very clear: ‘we’re not responsible for any side effects.’ If you turn into a crocodile, it’s your problem,” he said, according to news agency AFP.
Bolsonaro’s bizarre remark quickly went viral and #jacare memes took over the internet in Brazil.
Launching an attack on Civid-19 vaccines, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has said Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine could turn people into “crocodiles” or make women bearded, leaving netizens baffled.
Bolsonaro, who had tested positive for coronavirus after months of undermining the pandemic, recently shared his opinion why he is against the vaccine. He announced Brazil’s vaccine distribution plans recently, saying that inoculations would eventually be provided free of charge “for everyone who wants it,” while insisting that he would not personally be vaccinated.
“If you become superhuman, if a woman starts to grow a beard or if a man starts to speak with an effeminate voice, they will not have anything to do with it,” he added for the vaccine that is already being used in the United States and Britain.
“Some people say I’m giving a bad example. But to the imbeciles, to the idiots that say this, I tell them I’ve already caught the virus, I have the antibodies, so why get vaccinated?” he said in his defence.
COVID vaccine can turn people into ‘crocodiles’: Brazilian President’s remarks trigger memes
Soon, his remarks about the vaccine went viral, leaving people confused and it also sparked a meme-fest online involving crocodiles.
Bolsonaro’s statements are particularly alarming as Brazil’s death toll stands at 185,687, which is second only to the United States, the worst-hit nation both in terms of the total number of cases and deaths.