Portuguese PM António Costa tests positive for COVID-19

Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday.

Costa’s office said the infection was discovered through a routine self-test and was later confirmed by another antigen test. The 60-year-old is currently asymptomatic and will go into isolation for seven days.

Under Costa, Portugal had a successful COVID vaccination rollout, which gave it one of the world’s highest immunization rates at 93 percent. Yet the country still faces record infection numbers due to the surging Omicron variant.

On Sunday, Costa celebrated victory in Portugal’s general election, where his Socialist Party won a surprise absolute majority.