Portugal’s defense minister tests positive for COVID-19

MADRID

Portugal’s Defense Minister Joao Gomes Cravinho has tested positive for COVID-19, the Defense Ministry said Sunday.

The ministry said Cravinho has mild symptoms and is in good health.

Cravinho, 56, will remain in quarantine and continue working from home, it added.

In the last 24 hours, Portugal reported 275 fatalities from COVID-19, the highest daily number since the beginning of the pandemic, taking the country’s death toll to 10,469.

The country has reported more than 636,000 cases and over 456,000 recoveries.

Portugal started vaccinations on Dec. 27 last year.

The coronavirus pandemic has claimed more than 2.12 million lives in 192 countries and regions since originating in China in December 2019.

Over 99 million cases have been reported worldwide, with recoveries over 54.6 million, according to figures compiled by US-based Johns Hopkins University.

The US, India and Brazil remain the worst-hit countries in terms of cases.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar