Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appeared in public for the first time since his infection with COVID-19 on Friday. Erdoğan said he easily recovered from the infection, thanks to vaccines.

Erdoğan and his wife Emine Erdoğan tested positive for coronavirus last week. The couple, suffering from mild symptoms, self-isolated at their home in Istanbul while the president continued his daily tasks, albeit remotely.

After his doctors announced that the president tested negative on Thursday evening, the president left his residence for a meeting and for Friday prayers. The president performed prayers at a mosque in Üsküdar where his residence is located before speaking to reporters outside. "I overcame it very, very easily. It was certainly because of the vaccination. I had two doses of (CoronaVac, a Chinese-made inactive vaccine) and three doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. It only took a few days before my test turned negative," Erdoğan said. He said he did not suffer from fatigue or similar symptoms during his bout with coronavirus.

The president said his spouse had not recovered yet and remained in self-isolation. "I believe she will recover by Monday," Erdoğan said.