The Egyptian National Team Doctor Called Salah Only Mild COVID-19 Symptoms

Mohamed Salah (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Liverpool player Mohamed Salah is reportedly suffering from only mild symptoms of COVID-19, said Egyptian national team doctor Mohamed Abou Elela.

"The case is mild. He has no severe symptoms," Abou Elela said via a video call to the Associated Press as reported by Antara, Sunday.

Salah tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, which ruled him out of his country's Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Togo on Sunday, which Egypt won 1-0.

Although a number of English Premier League players have tested positive for the coronavirus, most have shown no symptoms. However, Salah showed some minor symptoms of the disease.

"He has to isolate himself in Egypt until the test comes back negative and then he can travel again," said Abou Elela

"The concern of the Egyptian authorities is that Mo (Salah) is very special to Egypt. Everyone here wants to help and ... do whatever the whole country can do."

Asked if Salah might have contracted the virus while attending his brother's Cairo wedding earlier that week, Abou Elela was unsure.

“I can't deny it. Nobody knows because ... sadly, we still don't know everything about viruses. My answer might be yes, maybe no. "

Egypt has more than 110,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 to date and the death toll has touched 6,000.

However, Britain fared much worse with more than 1,300,000 cases and 51,000 deaths.

The Egyptian national team next face Togo again on Tuesday with the team currently unbeaten in five matches and top of their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying group.

Salah will now have to spend the next week in isolation and will likely miss Liverpool's Premier League clash with Leicester City on 23 November.