Peru’s Former President, Wife Test Positive For COVID-19
(FROM L TO R) Pesident of Panam Sports Neven Ilic, president of Peru Martin Vizcarra and Carlos Neuhaus President of the Lima 2019 pan American Games Organizing Committee during the opening ceremony of Lima 2019 Pan American Games at Estadio Nacional on July 26, 2019 in Lima, Peru. Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Peru's former president, Martin Vizcarra, announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19. The president's announcement regarding his health follows the event of Vizcarra being barred by Peru's congress from taking public office for about 10 years after allegedly cutting the line to get a COVID-19 vaccine along with several other officials.

The former president announced that he was COVID-19 positive through his Twitter account, garnering different sympathies from the social media community.

Peru's Former President Having COVID-19

Martin Vizcarra announced on Sunday that he and his wife had tested positive for the deadly respiratory disease.

"My wife and I have tested positive for COVID and are symptomatic," said the former president in his translated tweet.

Vizcarra added that the coronavirus infected them both despite their necessary care to avoid bringing the virus home.

Numerous sympathies have surfaced on Vizcarra's tweet. One netizen has expressed support to the couple, reminding them to take good care of themselves.

Some users have been questioning the effectiveness of the vaccines. One user asked if the vaccine did not work. Another user replied to this tweet and shared knowledge that the vaccine does not avoid having COVID. Instead, it works to make the disease mild if in case it affects an individual.

It can be remembered that Vizcarra has been involved in the "vaccine-gate" scandal, where he was reported to receive COVID-19 jabs in October 2020 along with his family, government consultants, cabinet members, and lobbyists despite the vaccine queue.

Because of this, Vizcarra was barred by Peru's congress from holding any public office for about 10 years. The former health minister and former foreign minister were also banned from holding public office for eight years and one year, respectively.

Martin Vizcarra has denied that they jumped the waiting line to receive the vaccines, BMN Express reported.

Apart from the "vaccine-gate" scandal, Al Jazeera noted that the former president also faced criticism for not wearing a mask and not adhering to the social distancing rules during his election campaign ahead of Peru's April 11 polls.

Martin Vizcarra also tweeted that his family is taking the necessary isolation measures.

Peru Amid COVID-19

Like other countries in Latin America, Al Jazeera reported that Peru had witnessed a surge in COVID-19 infections and deaths in recent weeks.

Around 11,049 COVID-19 infections in Peru were recorded by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the last seven days. No additional cases were recorded in the past 24 hours. On the other hand, 408 new deaths related to COVID-19 were recorded in the previous 24 hours.

Because of the surge, the Peruvian government has issued measures on Saturday. The government will require Peruvians to wear two masks inside business establishments like groceries, pharmacies, and shopping centers. The mandate will start on Monday.

In Lima, a mandatory quarantine has been reimposed. Al Jazeera reported that 41 of the 196 provinces in Peru have also implemented the said quarantine.

Meanwhile, Peru's former president is now encouraging the people not to lower their guard amid the coronavirus pandemic.

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