A Brazilian politician who proposed a bill to prevent mandatory vaccination of the people of Mato Grosso do Sul against Covid, has died of the virus.

Silvio Antonio Favero, 54, died on Saturday, March 13 to the virus that has killed 277,091 Brazilians to date. He was affiliated with the Social Liberal Party of the far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.

Favero is an obstinate anti-vaxxer also lobbied heavily against mask wearing requirements.

Less than a week ago, a post on Fávero’s Facebook page announced that he was on the mend. “God is operating! State Deputy Silvio Fávero begins reacting to intensive treatment against COVID-19,” said a message in Portuguese. “Intubated since last Saturday (06) at a private hospital in Cuiabá, the parliamentarian has been infected with a new variant of the world’s disease.”

The same facebook page displayed a memorial to Fávero, with a picture of him among the clouds. Two years ago, Fávero’s eye and scalp were mangled when he was attacked by a dog during a soccer game.

There are currently 11,438,935 people infected in Brazil and only 4.7 per cent of the population has received the first dose of the vaccine.