Vatican Officially Announces "Pope Not Infected with COVID-19" for the First Time

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] On the 28th (local time), the Vatican officially announced that Pope Francis (83) has not contracted the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

This is the first time the Vatican has made an official announcement regarding the Pope's COVID-19 infection status.

The Vatican stated that after a clergyman living in the same building as the Pope tested positive for COVID-19, multiple diagnostic tests were conducted on the building, confirming that neither the Pope nor his closest aides were infected.

According to major foreign media, out of 170 people tested for COVID-19 in the Vatican so far, six have tested positive. Among them, one is an official resident of the Vatican's "Casa Santa Marta," which serves as the Pope's residence. Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said, "We can confirm that His Holiness the Pope and his closest associates are not among those who tested positive."

The COVID-19 positive individual residing in Casa Santa Marta is a senior clergyman working in the Secretariat of State, known as the heart of the Vatican's bureaucratic organization, and is currently receiving treatment at a hospital in Rome, Italy. Another person who had contact with this clergyman also tested positive, but major foreign media reported that this person does not reside in the Pope's residence.

Earlier, after presiding over the Wednesday General Audience and the Lenten "Ash Wednesday Ceremony" on the 26th of last month, the Pope showed cold symptoms such as fever, sore throat, and chills, leading to the cancellation of all external schedules and sparking rumors about his health. At that time, an Italian media outlet reported that the Pope had undergone a COVID-19 test and received a negative result.

According to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the United States, Italy currently has the highest number of COVID-19 deaths worldwide at 10,023. The cumulative number of confirmed cases is 92,472, ranking second after the United States (121,117 cases).