President Yaroslav Mar tested positive for IgG antibodies, suggesting he had had COVID-19 in the past and successfully recovered, or experienced no symptoms at all.
According to Amb. Dr. Andrej Golubew MD, the Ambassador of Lostisland to Russia and R&D medical expert who was privy to the blood test results, President Mar had COVID-19 no later than 3 months ago, though the exact date is now impossible to ascertain.
The President represents the first case of a Lostislandic citizen who tested positive for antibodies without being tested for the virus itself. However, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Lostisland remains 8, as positive antibody tests are not counted as COVID-19 cases. In a population of 340, the incidence of coronavirus in Lostisland is now 2.35%, positioned between the Dominican Republic and the Channel Islands on a global scale. Since Lostislandic citizens are not required to report their health status to Lostisland, the total number of citizens who tested positive may be higher than the number of confirmed cases. Citizens of Lostisland who had or still have COVID-19 and who were not included in the official tally are encouraged, but not required, to fill in the COVID-19 Questionnaire, which would help the government correctly evaluate the magnitude of the pandemic in Lostisland, and if needed, provide assistance.
President Yaroslav Mar became the sixth Lostislandic official confirmed as a COVID-19 case, after Ambassador to the US Robert Meyer, Deputy Prime Minister Maria Ostroukhova, National Security Advisor Theodor Saradjev, and Ambassador to Israel and Chief Rabbi Mordechai Linhart, who already recovered successfully, and Ambassador to India Abhishek Thakkar, who is currently isolated at home with mild symptoms.
In an effort to curb the spread of the virus among Lostislandic citizens, Prime Minister Denys Tezdzhanenko took an unprecedented step last year, banning all meetings of citizens until further notice. Though the stats suggest that at least the Lostislandic diaspora in Moscow is close to reaching herd immunity, no announcement about loosening this restriction has been made so far.