Brazil's Bolsonaro says will return to work if new test shows he is COVID-19 free

Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro said on Monday he is feeling "very good" and will return to work if he tests negative for the new coronavirus on Tuesday, but that he will continue to isolate himself until he is free of the virus.

The right-wing president told broadcaster CNN Brasil he has not felt out of breath, nor has he lost his sense of taste.

"I am very well," Bolsonaro said. "Tomorrow is scheduled - I don't know if it's confirmed - a new exam. And if everything is good, we'll go back to work. Otherwise, we wait a few days."

Bolsonaro tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Tuesday last week, after coming down with a fever. By Wednesday, he said he was already doing very well, crediting his use of the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine - unproven for treating coronavirus - for his mild symptoms.

Brazil is the second-worst hit country by the global coronavirus pandemic after the United States. On Tuesday, the Health Ministry registered 20,286 new confirmed cases of the disease, bringing the cumulative total cases to nearly 1.9 million, while more than 72,000 people have died from the virus in Brazil.