MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s condition has been improving, the Palace said Sunday after he tested positive for COVID-19 last week.
This is the second time Marcos Jr. caught COVID-19, with the first during the height of the pandemic in 2020.
Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said that Marcos Jr. only has mild symptoms and is still capable of working from home.
Cruz-Angeles, citing a report from Marcos Jr.'s personal doctor, said "the president is doing well and very much in stable condition."
The president has been told to be in isolation for seven days but does not have fever or pneumonia and has retained his senses of smell and taste, she also said.
In a video message to mayors and governors on Friday, Marcos Jr. encouraged leaders to look into conducting a COVID-19 booster shot campaign in hopes that the country can further relax its pandemic restrictions.
According to the Department of Health’s COVID-19 vaccination dashboard, out of the over 154.69 million total COVID-19 vaccine doses the country has administered, only over 15 million are booster doses.
Meanwhile, over 70.98 million are fully vaccinated against the virus.
The DOH has logged nearly 3.72 million COVID-19 cases since the pandemic broke out in 2020. Active cases stood at 13,021 as of Saturday, the DOH’s pandemic dashboard showed.