Syrian President Assad, wife test positive for COVID-19
The president and first lady Asma are in good health and getting treated at home. The country has yet to obtain vaccines, and the UN fears cases are much higher in Syria than reported.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and first lady Asma al-Assad have tested positive for COVID-19, according to a statement from the Syrian presidency on Monday.
They received a PCR test after experiencing mild symptoms. The two are in good health and will stay at home for two to three weeks, the presidency said in a tweet.
Assad, who is a medical doctor, is the first Middle Eastern head of state to be infected with the coronavirus. Other high-ranking officials in the region have also gotten the virus. In January, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government Qubad Talabani also became infected.
The coronavirus is spreading in Syria, as it is in other countries in the region. On Sunday, the Ministry of Health reported 56 new cases of the virus.
