Dec. 4 (UPI) -- The Brazilian Supreme Court announced it has ordered an investigation into President Jair Bolsonaro's false claims that receiving a COVID-19 vaccination can increase the risk of contracting AIDS.
The Supreme Court announced on Twitter that Justice Alexandre de Moraes opened an inquiry into the statements made by Bolsonaro during a live video that was broadcast on multiple social media platforms in October.
The video, which led to Bolsonaro being temporarily suspended from Facebook and YouTube, featured the president saying that reports "suggest that people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are developing Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome much faster than expected."
The claim was widely rejected by scientists and medical experts.
The Supreme Court said the inquiry was launched after a request from a parliamentary commission investigating the Bolsonaro administration's response to the pandemic.
The Joint United Nations Program on HIV and AIDS said COVID-19 vaccines approved by health regulators are safe for those living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Brazil has the second-highest death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic, behind the United States. Bolsonaro is the only president of a G20 nation who claims to have not received a COVID-19 vaccination.