Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and his wife, Asma, have recovered from COVID-19 and returned to their regular duties on Tuesday, the president’s office said, according to The Associated Press.
According to the statement, Syria’s first couple had their PCR tests and the results were negative, and the mild symptoms of the virus that they had experienced before were now gone.
The Syrian President and his wife had isolated themselves since testing positive on March 8.
Later Tuesday, Assad’s office said the president headed a Cabinet meeting, his first public appearance in weeks.
Assad had joined a growing list of world leaders who have tested positive for COVID-19. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron and former US President Donald Trump have all tested positive for the virus at some point during the pandemic.
In Johnson’s case, he was hospitalized in intensive care due to the virus and later revealed that his health deteriorated so badly after contracting coronavirus that a strategy was drawn up in case he died.
Syria, meanwhile, has been witnessing a sharp increase in cases since February. Earlier this month, state media reported that intensive care units in state hospitals in the capital of Damascus were full and that medical staff have been called to stay on alert to deal with coronavirus patients.
The World Health Organization said last week it will oversee a coronavirus vaccination campaign in Syria that is expected to start in April, with the aim of inoculating 20% of the population by the end of 2021, according to AP.