Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad infected with COVID
Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma have reportedly tested positive for COVID-19.
The strongman leader and the Syrian first lady experienced “mild symptoms,” according to NBC News. The pair is said to be in good health and plan to work from quarantine in the coming weeks.
Assad has held power since 2000 though half his reign has been defined by a civil war that has left hundreds of thousands dead and thrown the nation’s economy into chaos. He is up for reelection in May, where being elected to a fourth term appears likely. Assad’s family has controlled the Middle Eastern nation for a half-century.
Syrian media said in February that an inoculation program was set to get underway last week, thanks to vaccines from an unidentified “friendly country.”
Assad joins world leaders Boris Johnson of Great Britain and France’s Emmanuel Macron in becoming infected by the coronavirus. Former President Donald Trump and ex-first lady Melania Trump were also treated for COVID in October.
