World Food Program chief tests positive for COVID-19

World Food Program chief and former Governor of South Carolina David Beasley tested positive for the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19, he announced Friday.

"I want you to be among the first to know that in the past few hours I have received confirmation, after testing, that I have the COVID-19 virus," said Beasley, the executive director of the UN World Food Program, in a statement.

"So far, my symptoms have been relatively light, and I am in good spirits. I am lucky to be close to my family and I have access to excellent medical support," he added.

Beasley said he started to feel unwell after his recent trip to Canada and have been going into self-quarantine for five days in his U.S. home.

He and his team have been tracing people who had close contact with Beasley while he was unaware of the infection, the statement said.

COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, China last December, and has spread to at least 163 countries and territories. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic.

Out of more than 246,000 confirmed cases, the death toll now exceeds 10,000, and over 86,000 have recovered, according to data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

Despite the rising number of cases, most who become infected suffer only mild symptoms and recover.