Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has again tested positive for coronavirus, he told reporters on Wednesday in Brasilia, suggesting he has yet to recover from an infection first diagnosed last week.

Bolsonaro, who at 65 is in a high risk group, said he would remain in quarantine at his official residence in Brasilia from where he would continue to work by video conference.

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Since catching the virus, the president has said he remains in good health and he will resume his normal work schedule if he tests negative this week. On Wednesday he said he would get tested again in a few days.

Bolsonaro admitted on Monday by telephone interview with CNN that he "can't stand this routine of staying at home" and said he was waiting "anxiously" to be given the all-clear to leave the house.

He told the television channel he hasn't had any symptoms such as a fever or respiratory difficulties since July 6, adding that he is continuing to take the anti-malarial medication hydroxychloroquine.

The drug has been pushed as a treatment for COVID-19 in many countries – but its effectiveness has not been formally proven and the issue is deeply dividing the global scientific community.

Bolsonaro, a former army captain, first announced his diagnosis on July 7 after dismissing the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, calling it a "little flu" even as Brazil's outbreak became the worst in the world outside the United States.

He played down the country's mounting death toll – now over 74,000, out of nearly 2 million confirmed cases – and said his good physical condition would prevent him from developing serious symptoms if he got ill.

(With input from Reuters, AFP)