Syrians were divided over the announcement by the presidential palace that President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma have tested positive for coronavirus.
The presidency stated that Assad, 55, and his wife 45, received PCR tests after experiencing minor symptoms, adding that they were both in “good health and in a stable condition.”
According to a statement by the presidential office, the couple will continue to work during an expected two to three weeks of in-home isolation.
Opposition activists said that this announcement was part of a “media campaign ahead of the presidential elections,” while loyalists of the regime expressed “their shock at the news, especially since Asmaa was suffering from cancer.”
At the end of February, Damascus began vaccinating medical staff after receiving 5,000 doses as a donation from a “friendly country”, according to an announcement by the Health Ministry.
In January, the Syrian government signed an agreement to join the COVAX program through the World Health Organization (WHO).
Moreover, the Syrian embassy in Moscow announced last month that Syria had authorized the use of the Russian Sputnik-V vaccine on its soil. But no party has announced the date of arrival of the vaccines in Damascus yet. The COVAX platform seeks to secure vaccines for at least 20 percent of Syrians until the end of this year.
The Ministry of Health has recently warned of a new wave of infections in the country, calling on citizens to adhere to the necessary preventive guidelines.
Since the outbreak of the epidemic, the government has counted 15,981 infections in its control areas, including 1,063 deaths, while the Kurdish Autonomous Administration in the northeast of the country has registered about 8,689 infections, including 368 deaths.
The areas controlled by the factions in Idlib have registered so far 21,209 cases, including 623 deaths. Experts have warned that the real figures could be much higher.
