Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has tested positive for COVID-19, joining the list of country leaders who have been infected with the virus, including France‘s Emmanuel Macron, and former U.S. President Donald Trump.
He, along with his wife, Asma, test positive after experiencing mild symptoms, according to a statement from the Syrian presidency.
“Both are in good health and in a stable condition, and they will continue to work during their home quarantine period that will last two or three weeks,” the statement added.
The news comes after Syria launched its vaccination drive on March 1st.
In addition, the month of March marks 10 years since the start of the deadly and violent Syrian civil war which has led to more than 500,000 deaths.
The conflicts have displaced about 13 million people. This is over half of the country’s pre-war population, according to the United States Institute of Peace.
The NGO Anera (American Near East Refugee Aid) reports that Lebanon has the largest per capita population of Syrian refugees in the world, being home to an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees.
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