Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was diagnosed positive when he arrived in Cuba in December where he had to observe a quarantine, the Lula Institute reported Thursday, the day after his return to Brazil.
The ex-leftist head of state (2003-2010), aged 75, had gone to Havana to participate in a documentary on Latin America directed by American director Oliver Stone, when he was diagnosed positive , December 26.
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Eight of the nine members of his delegation, including his wife Janja, tested positive for the coronavirus but only the writer Fernando Morais had to be hospitalized.
All are imported cases, according to epidemiological studies and Lula has fully recovered, according to the institute that bears his name and promotes its activities.
At the end of his stay and once negative, Lula met with the leader of the Communist Party of Cuba, Raul Castro, as well as President Miguel Díaz-Canel on Tuesday.
The historic leader of the Brazilian left said he was ready to be vaccinated quickly and criticized far-right President Jair Bolsonaro for denigrating the vaccine and downplaying the severity of a pandemic that claimed the lives of 213,000 people in Brazil.
Paying tribute to Cuban caregivers, Lula
"greeted all health professionals who are trying to do the same in Brazil, despite the irresponsibility of the President of the Republic and the Minister of Health"
Eduardo Pazuello.
Brazil deplores an average of 1,001 deaths from Covid per million inhabitants, against 16 in Cuba, which has recorded a total of 184 deaths, according to official data compiled by AFP.
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