Syrian regime leader Bashar Assad and his wife Asma have recovered from COVID-19 and have tested negative for the virus, the Syrian regime said on Tuesday.

The Syrian regime had announced that Assad and his wife, who announced her recovery from breast cancer in 2019, had tested positive on March 8.

The first couple did PCR tests after they experienced minor symptoms consistent with the COVID-19 illness, the statement said, adding that Assad, 55, and his wife Asma, who is 10 years younger, would continue to work from home where they will isolate between two to three weeks.

Syria has seen a sharp rise in infections since mid-February, a member of the government's coronavirus advisory committee told Reuters last week as the country kicked off its vaccination campaign.

The pandemic, which has severely tested even developed countries, has been a major challenge for Syria's health care sector, already depleted by years of conflict. Syria began a vaccination campaign last week, but no details have been given about the process, nor have local journalists been allowed to witness the rollout.