Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro announced on Saturday he has tested negative for coronavirus more than two weeks after being diagnosed on July 7.

"RT-PCR for Sars-Cov 2: negative. Good morning everyone," the 65-year-old tweeted, along with a photo of himself smiling and holding a packet of hydroxychloroquine, whose effectiveness against COVID-19 has not been demonstrated in clinical trials.

He did not say when he took the latest test.

Later, local media reported that he took a motorcycle ride through Brasilia and visited some shops, with small crowds gathering around him.

"I didn't feel anything, not even in the beginning. If I hadn't taken the test, I wouldn't have known I had the virus," he told them.

The president, who has routinely downplayed the virus he calls a "little flu" but which is currently ravaging his country, spent nearly 20 days self-isolating at his official residence in the capital Brasilia, the Alvorada Palace. 

AFP