Bolsonaro’s Rejection of Covid Vaccine Creates Awkwardness in N.Y.

The decision of President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil to not get vaccinated against the coronavirus has loomed large over his first couple of days in New York, where world leaders are gathering this week for the United Nations General Assembly.

It made for an awkward moment during a meeting on Monday with Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain, who hailed the AstraZeneca vaccine, which was developed at Oxford University.

“Get AstraZeneca vaccines,” Mr. Johnson said during his meeting with the Brazilian president. “I’ve had it twice.”

Mr. Bolsonaro pointed to himself and said: “Not yet.”

Brazil’s far-right president has led one of the world’s most criticized responses to the pandemic. Mr. Bolsonaro repeatedly downplayed the threat the virus posed, railed against quarantine measures and was fined for refusing to wear a mask in the capital.

His government was slow to secure access to coronavirus vaccines even as the virus overwhelmed hospitals across the country. Covid-19 has killed more than 590,000 people in Brazil.

Mr. Bolsonaro, who had a mild case of Covid-19 in July of last year, has said he is in no hurry to get a shot. Earlier this year, the president said he was undecided about getting a vaccine.

“I already had the virus,” he said in a televised video. “I think what must happen is that after the last Brazilian gets vaccinated, if there’s a spare shot, I will decide whether or not I get vaccinated.” He added that “that’s the example the boss must provide.”

This has caused logistical problems when it comes to finding a place to eat in New York, where restaurants require that patrons show proof of vaccination for indoor seating. Mr. Bolsonaro and his traveling party have been taking the rule in stride. On Sunday, one of his ministers posted a photo of the president and several top aides eating pizza standing up on the street.

“A luxurious dinner in NYC,” joked the minister, Luiz Ramos.

During Mr. Bolsonaro’s speech on Tuesday, activists plan to protest near U.N. headquarters against Mr. Bolsonaro’s environmental and economic policies, which critics say have contributed to devastation of the Amazon rainforest and widespread hunger in Brazil.

Earlier, campaigners projected messages onto a building next to the Brooklyn Bridge that read, “Bolsonaro will lie at the United Nations” and “Bolsonaro is burning your future.”