In a bit of good news, Pope Francis has tested negative for COVID-19 after one resident of the Vatican tested positive for the virus.
“The Vatican said on Saturday that tests carried out in the building where Pope Francis lives after one resident tested positive for coronavirus showed that the pontiff and his closest aides do not have the disease,” reported Reuters. “Tests were done on 170 people in the Vatican and six showed positive, including one of the several dozen permanent residents of the Santa Marta guesthouse on the Vatican grounds.”
“The person who tested positive works in the Secretariat of State and is in a Rome hospital,” the report continued. “Tests showed one other person who had been in contact with the priest also came up positive but that person did not live in the papal residence. The modern residence, which has 130 rooms and suites and a staff of about 30 people, is home to dozens of priests who work in key Vatican departments.”
In a statement, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said that neither the Holy Father nor his closest aides tested positive for the virus.
“I can confirm that neither the Holy Father nor his closest aides are among these,” he said.
At age 83, Pope Francis would be at high risk of contracting the virus, which could be worsened by the fact that one of his lungs was removed as a young man following an illness. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, he has canceled all public appearances and conducts his general audience via television and the internet. He still grants audience to about five Vatican officials per day.
In a handwritten letter to Judge Roberto Andrés Gallardo, president of the Pan-American Committee of Men and Women Judges for Social Rights, this past week, Pope Francis said he feared a “viral genocide” that could erupt if governments prioritize the economy over people dying from the pandemic.
“We are all concerned at the increase, in geometric progression, of the pandemic,” the pope said in the letter, adding that he was “edified by the reaction of so many persons, doctors, nurses, volunteers, religious [women and men], priests, who risk their lives to heal and defend healthy people from the contagion.”
“The governments that face the crisis in this way show the priority of their decisions: the people first,” he later said, as reported by America Magazine. “This is important because we know that to defend the people supposes an economic setback. It would be sad if they opted for the opposite, which would lead to the death of very many people, something like a viral genocide (genocidio virosico).”
On Sunday, President Trump said that while he would like to open up the economy soon, he admitted that declaring premature victory would make the situation worse and extended the social distancing guidelines to April 30.
“I want the American people to know that your selfless inspiring and valiant efforts are saving countless lives,” Trump said. “You are making the difference. The modeling estimates that the peak in death rate is likely to hit in two weeks, so I will say it again, the peak, highest point of death rates, remember this, is likely to hit in two weeks.”
“Nothing would be worse than declaring victory before the victory is won,” Trump continued. “That would be the greatest loss of all. Therefore, the next two weeks and during this period, it’s very important that everyone strongly follow the guidelines, have to follow the guidelines that our great vice president holds up a lot. He’s holding that up a lot. He believes it in so strongly.”