Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune meets with the visiting French Foreign Minister (unseen) in the capital Algiers on January 21, 2020. (File photo: AFP)
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has tested positive for coronavirus, but his condition is gradually improving as he receives treatment in a German hospital, the presidency said on Tuesday.
Tebboune, who is 74 and a heavy smoker, “continues to receive treatment in a specialized German hospital after catching the Covid-19 illness” and is “gradually recovering”, his office said in a statement.
Tebboune was transferred from a hospital in Algiers to Germany on Wednesday, officials said, days after the 74-year-old went into self-isolation following reports of suspected coronavirus cases among his aides.
“The President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune was transferred... to Germany for in-depth medical examinations on the recommendation of medical staff,” a statement from the presidency said on Wednesday.
The transfer came after officials said Saturday that Tebboune had “voluntarily” gone into self-isolation for five days amid reports several officials in the presidency and government had contracted the COVID-19 disease.
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