UPDATE- Turkish president, first lady experiencing 'mild symptoms' of COVID-19

UPDATES WTH MORE MESSAGES OF RECOVERY, CHANGES IN HEADLINE, DECK, BODY

By Seda Sevencan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and first lady Emine Erdogan, who tested positive for the omicron variant of coronavirus on Saturday, "have mild symptoms."

"This morning, our doctor performed our routine check-up. Thankfully, there is nothing negative. We have mild symptoms today as well, and we're continuing to work from home," Erdogan said in a tweet on Sunday.

Erdogan and the first lady have received an outpouring of well-wishes from world leaders and political figures.

Those who sent messages include Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus President Ersin Tatar, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, Pakistan's President Arif Alvi, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, Bosnian leader Bakir İzetbegov and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, President of El Salvador Nayib Bukele, Guatemala’s President Alejandro Giammattei, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali also wished them a speedy recovery.

Erdogan has expressed thanks to the leaders for their good wishes.

A recent surge in coronavirus cases in Turkiye and around the world is attributed to the highly contagious omicron strain.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has called on everyone to avoid negligence thinking that omicron causes a milder disease, and get their booster shots.

Turkiye has administered nearly 143 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since it launched an immunization drive in January last year.​​​​​​​