DAR ES SALAAM — Tanzanian Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in on Friday as the country's first female president, two days after the death of President John Magufuli, one of Africa's most prominent COVID-19 skeptics, was announced. Hassan took the oath at the statehouse in the city of Dar es Salaam in a televised ceremony on state TV. Few in the full room were wearing face coverings. In an address shortly after she was sworn in, Hassan said Magufuli's body would be moved to several locations around the country over the next few days for private and public farewell events.

He will then be laid to rest in his hometown, Chato, on March 25, she said. Hassan announced the death of Magufuli, age 61, in a televised address Wednesday in which she said he died of a heart ailment that he has battled for over 10 years. The announcement ended days of speculation about his health, including rumors that he was suffering from COVID-19. Magufuli had not been seen since Feb. 27. Described as a soft-spoken consensus-builder, Hassan will also be the country's first president born in Zanzibar, the archipelago that forms part of the union of the Republic of Tanzania, Reuters reports. Her leadership >

Tanzania hasn't reported COVID-19 figures for close to a year, prompting the World Health Organization to call for its government to publish data on the coronavirus and step up public health measures. Last month, the US Embassy in Dar es Salaam warned that COVID-19 cases had been surging since January. — Courtesy CNN