Coronavirus pandemic: World leaders who contracted the virus

From Prime Minister Boris Johnson to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, world leaders have not been immune to the coronavirus. US President Donald Trump is the latest on the list of Heads of State who contracted the virus.

Here are some other names on the list.

Boris Johnson
(Prime Minister, UK)
 
Prime Minister Boris Johnson tested positive for COVID-19 in March 2020. He was admitted to St Thomas' Hospital in London for close monitoring on advice of his doctor. As his situation worsened, he was shifted to ICU but did not require ventilator support. Johnson was back at work by late April after he was discharged from the hospital. He also thanked state-funded NHS medics and staff for their hard work and relentless effort to save his life.

Mikhail Mishustin
(Prime Minister, Russia)
 
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishistun was found coronavirus positive on April 30, 2020. As he went into self-isolation, Mishistun handed over his responsibilities to Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov.

Nikol Pashinyan
(Prime Minister, Armenia)

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced he was coronavirus positive on June 1, 2020 on Facebook live video. Pashinyan said that he and his family members had tested positive for COVID-19. However, a week after disclosing the results, he announced that he and his whole family had recovered from COVID-19.

Juan Orlando Hernandez
(President, Honduras)

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez got hospitalised for COVID-19 and was treated for Pneumonia. President's wife also tested positive along with two presidential aides.

Jair Bolsonaro
(President, Brazil)

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro who faced sharp criticism for downplaying the pandemic tested positive not once, but twice for Covid-19. He first contracted the virus on July 7, and then again on July 23, his office announced. Bolsonaro extended his two-week quarantine and suspended travel plans.

Jeanine Anez
(President, Bolivia)

Bolivia's interim president Jeanine Aez tested positive for the virus in July. The 53-year-old said in a video on Twitter that she would remain in quarantine before taking another test. Anez was the second South American president to contract the virus after Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro tested COVID positive. Her health crisis struck at a time when Bolivia was gearing up for general elections which were postponed from September to October.

Alexander Likashenko
(President, Belarus)

The president of Belarus tested positive for the coronavirus on July 28. He received sharp backlash over dismissing concerns about the coronavirus as "psychosis." Also, he took no comprehensive measures against the coronavirus, neither lockdowns nor social distancing.

Alejandro Giammattei
(President, Guatemala)
 
Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei tested coronavirus positive just as the Central American country was easing travel restrictions imposed months ago to contain the virus. Giamattei was the fourth Latin American leader to have contracted the virus after Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, and Bolivian interim president Jeanine Aez.

Donald Trump
(President, The United States of America)
 
After downplaying the seriousness of the coronavirus threat, Trump is the latest to join the string of leaders who have contracted the virus. "Don't be afraid of COVID-19 he said as he returned to White House after being treated for coronavirus. President Trump was back at work in the Oval Office just six days after testing Covid-19 positive, despite warnings that his return could mean risk for others.