Syrian president Assad, wife test positive for COVID-19

March 8 (UPI) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma each have tested positive for the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, official Syrian media reported Monday.

A post on the president's official Facebook page said that after feeling mild symptoms, Assad and his wife underwent rapid COVID-19 tests which came back positive.

"They are in a good health and in stable condition," the statement said, adding that the Syrian leader will work at home during a two- to three-week quarantine period.

The Assads "call on all Syrians to continue following caution and prevention measures as possible," the statement said.

With the diagnosis, Assad joined other world leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former U.S. President Donald Trump in testing positive for COVID-19.

Syria has officially recorded only around 16,000 cases and 1,000 deaths since the start of pandemic, but the actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to the difficulty of compiling accurate numbers in the war-torn country.

In September, British and European researchers estimated that only 1.25% of the actual coronavirus deaths in the Syrian capital of Damascus had been included in the official statistics up until then, amounting to about 4,400 extra deaths.

Syria has been ravaged by civil war for nearly a decade, during which Assad has been repeatedly been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity. He has steadfastly denied the charges.