Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the test for COVID-19 was positive

ISTANBUL – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s COVID-19 test was positive, he wrote on Twitter on Saturday.

“Today, my wife and I tested positive for COVID-19 with mild symptoms. Thankfully, we are experiencing minor symptoms that we learned are an omicron variant,” he said. “We have a turn. We will continue to work at home. We are waiting for your prayers.”

Erdogan, 67, sent the message from Istanbul after appearing in a video link to the tunnel’s opening ceremony, canceling his personal presence.

The president did not show any signs of illness in his televised speech. Erdogan’s wife, Amina, wrote on Twitter that they hope to get rid of the disease together as soon as possible.

The president’s health is a sensitive issue in Turkey. In November, an investigation was launched against social media users for “manipulating” tweets amid speculation about his health.

Erdogan, a former semi-professional footballer, underwent surgery on his lower intestine in 2011. He denied reports that he often had cancer and had a busy schedule, speaking several times a day.

According to the Ministry of Health on Friday, a record number of cases of COVID-19 were registered in Turkey in recent days, 111,157 cases. At the end of December, the daily incidence was about 20,000, but increased due to the high-transmittance omicron variant.

The country has a high number of deaths due to COVID-19, with 248 deaths on Friday, the highest level since October.