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Brazil Central Bank Chief Campos Neto Tests Positive for Covid

Brazil Central Bank Chief Campos Neto Tests Positive for Covid

Brazil’s central bank head Roberto Campos Neto has tested positive for Covid as a new wave of infections sweeps through the country. 

Campos Neto, who’s doubly vaccinated, is asymptomatic and will isolate at home, the central bank said in a message Saturday. The policy maker, 52, returns to the job on Monday remotely following year-end vacations. 

Omicron, the highly contagious variant of Covid-19, is causing a sharp spike in cases in Brazil after a long respite -- daily infections surged to 63,292 on Friday, almost double the previous day and more than five times the toll reported on Monday. Private diagnostics companies have seen positivity rates skyrocket to as much as 40% in January, from less than 5% just a month ago. The demand for tests is surging, with emergency rooms in cities like Sao Paulo and Brasilia packed with people reporting flu-like symptoms, and long lines for tests observed in Rio de Janeiro this morning.

©2022 Bloomberg L.P.