Brazil's Bolsonaro says he won't take vaccine

Brazil's right wing president Jair Bolsonaro said he will not take a coronavirus vaccine - calling it his "right."

He made statements live on social media Thursday, adding that congress was NOT likely to require Brazilians to take a vaccine.

The South American country has the second highest number of coronavirus deaths in the world.

But Bolsonaro has played down the seriousness of the pandemic, even after he caught the virus himself in July.

During the live broadcast, he also cast doubt on the effectiveness of face masks.

He implied there was little conclusive evidence they helped to stem transmission of the coronavirus.

Brazil's government has contracts in place for nearly 143,000,000 vaccine doses with several companies, their main bet being the vaccine from AstraZeneca.

That amount would be enough to immunize at least a third of Brazil's population, according to officials.

But Bolsonaro has said repeatedly that he will not make vaccinations compulsory.

He recently joked on Twitter that vaccination would only be required for his dog.