The president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, accused governors and mayors of persecuting people who don't want to get vaccinated. He did so while condemning some local governments' mandates on vaccination certificates to access public places. He also defended physicians who prescribe drugs with no proven efficacy against coronavirus.

The President's statements came at a time when he and part of his cabinet are being investigated by a Senate commission on the government's handling of the pandemic. Bolsonaro is charged with 11 crimes, including genocide, for his administration's management of the health crisis, which left more than 602,000 deaths in Brazil.