Macron tests positive for Covid-19: Here’s list of world leaders who contracted coronavirus

Over 74 million Covid-19 cases have been recorded across the globe so far, which include some of the world leaders who failed to escape the coronavirus.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday tested positive for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), becoming the latest world leader to contract the virus. Macron’s office announced that the French president was diagnosed with Covid-19 following an RT-PCR test performed at the onset of the first symptoms. Elysee said in a statement that Macron will self-isolate for seven days and will continue to work remotely. Over 74 million Covid-19 cases have been recorded across the globe so far, which include some of the world leaders who failed to escape the virus.

French President Emmanuel Macron was diagnosed with Covid-19 following an RT-PCR test performed at the onset of the first symptoms. (REUTERS)

Here’s the list of some of the world leaders who contracted coronavirus:

Donald Trump: The US president downplayed the threat of the novel coronavirus for a long time and promoted various unproven medicine for treatment purposes. In October, Trump announced that he and First Lady Melania Trump have tested positive for Covid-19 after one his close aide got infected with the virus.

Boris Johnson: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson tested positive for Covid-19 in March 2020. He was admitted to St. Thomas Hospital as he showed persistent symptoms of Covid-19. He was discharged from the hospital on April 12 after battling the virus for more than two weeks and spending three days in the intensive care unit (ICU). He had also issued a statement thanking the staff of the National Health Service (NHS) at the St. Thomas Hospital.

Jair Bolsonaro: The Brazilian president had tested positive for coronavirus in July after repeatedly downplaying the seriousness of the disease and ignoring crucial warnings from health authorities. During the early phase of the coronavirus outbreak, Bolsonaro termed the disease as “little flu” and refused to impose strict lockdown across the country to contain the spread. The Lancet, a leading medical journal, highlighted Bolsonaro’s blatant disregard for sensible measures of physical distancing and lockdown.

Mikhail Mishustin: Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin had tested positive for Covid-19 in April and went into self-isolation, handing over the responsibilities to his deputy, Andrei Belousov. Russia continues to witness an exponential surge in the total cases of Covid-19 in the country, even as the government rolled out Sputnik V vaccine, hoping to reverse the course of the pandemic.

Alexander Lukashenko: In July, the Belarus president had tested positive for the virus while he was facing severe backlash for dismissing the concerns about the coronavirus as “psychosis”. He didn’t announce any comprehensive measure against the coronavirus, including lockdown or social distancing norms.

Nikol Pashinyan: The Armenian prime minister announced in June that he had tested positive for coronavirus. In a Facebook Live video, Pashinyan had said that he and his family members had tested positive for Covid-19. A week later, he announced that he and his whole family had recovered from the disease.

Jeanine Añez: Bolivia’s interim president had tested positive for Covid-19 in July, becoming the second South American president, after Brazil’s Bolsonaro, to contract the virus.