Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma have tested positive for COVID-19 after showing minor symptoms, his office said on Monday.
The Syrian leader and his spouse, who announced her recovery from breast cancer in 2019, were in good health and would keep working in isolation at home, the statement said.
Assad joins a growing list of world leaders who have tested positive for COVID-19, alongside Britain’s Boris Johnson, France’s Emmanuel Macron and former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Syria has seen a sharp rise in infections since mid-February, a member of the government’s coronavirus advisory committee told Reuters last week as the country kicked off its vaccination campaign. As of Sunday, the health ministry reported 10,374 infections and 1,063 related deaths out of a population of around 18 million, Reuters reported.
