Person living in Pope’s residence tests positive for COVID-19

The Vatican confirmed Saturday that a person who lives in the same residence as Pope Francis has tested positive for COVID-19, according to multiple reports.

The news comes after The Associated Press reported earlier this week that at least 11 Swiss Guards, the pope’s elite security team, have tested positive for the virus.

The Vatican said on Saturday the person who tested positive for the virus was asymptomatic, Reuters reported. The person was immediately moved out of the residence, Domus Sanctae Marthae, or St. Martha’s House.

The individual is in isolation, as well as others who recently came into direct contact with the person.

The residence has approximately 130 rooms and suites, according to Reuters.

Masks are required in the Vatican, as well as other health measures that Italy has adopted to restrict the spread of COVID-19. His Holiness is tested regularly for the disease, however, he has not worn as mask during his services, and he has been in close contact with visitors. 

At 83 years old, the pope is also at a high risk of experiencing severe coronavirus symptoms due to his age and because he had part of one of his lungs removed as a young man in Argentina.

The Holy See, an independent state inside the country of Italy, has recorded a total of 27 confirmed cases of COVID-19 according to Johns Hopkins University.