Syria says Assad, his wife have recovered from coronavirus
Syrian President Bashar Assad and his wife have recovered from COVID-19 and are returning to regular duties, three weeks after they tested positive for the coronavirus
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Syrian President Bashar Assad and his wife have recovered from COVID-19 and returned to their regular duties on Tuesday, three weeks after they had tested positive for the coronavirus, the president's office said.
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.
Assad, 55, and his wife, Asma, who is 10 years younger and had announced her recovery from breast cancer in 2019, had isolated themselves since testing positive on March 8.
Syria is witnessing a sharp increase in cases. Earlier this month, state media has 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.
Syria has been mired in civil war for 10 years since anti-government protests that began as part of Arab Spring uprisings turned into an insurgency in response to a military crackdown. A decade of fighting has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions.
Syrian authorities have so far registered more than 18,000 cases of the coronavirus and 1,247 deaths in government-held parts of the country, where the first case was reported in March last year.
According to the World Health Organization there are nearly 21,000 cases in the last rebel stronghold in Syria’s northwest along the border with Turkey as well as some 9,000 cases in areas controlled by U.S.-backed Kurdish-led fighters in the northeast.
The real numbers are believed to be much higher, as testing is limited. Many Syrians cannot afford PCR tests amid the country’s severe economic crisis.
The pandemic, which has severely tested even developed countries, has been a major challenge for Syria’s health care sector, already depleted by 10 years of conflict. The conflict has killed more than half a million people and displaced half of Syria's pre-war population of 23 million.
WHO 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.