Trump Joins List of World Leaders Diagnosed with the Coronavirus

JOHANNESBURG, KOMPAS.com - President Donald Trump is the latest member to join an expanding list of world leaders diagnosed with the coronavirus after the US president tested positive for Covid-19 Friday and shared his diagnosis on Twitter.

Some, like Trump, had been accused of not taking the pandemic seriously. A few are now sending Trump their wishes for a speedy recovery.

At 74, the US president is the oldest head of state to become infected with Covid-19, and his age puts him at higher risk of serious complications from the novel virus.

Read also: Donald Trump Tests Positive for Coronavirus, Begins Quarantine

Boris Johnson

The British prime minister was the first major world leader confirmed to have Covid-19, after facing criticism for downplaying the pandemic.

He was moved to intensive care in April after his symptoms dramatically worsened a day after he was hospitalized for what were called routine tests. He was given oxygen but did not need a ventilator, officials said.

He later expressed his gratitude to National Health Service staff for saving his life when his treatment could have “gone either way”.

Read also: Boris Johnson Considering Second Round of Coronavirus Lockdowns in UK

Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, also tested positive in March and showed mild symptoms.

Jair Bolsonaro

The Brazilian president announced his illness in July and used it to publicly extol hydroxychloroquine, the unproven malaria drug that he’d been promoting as a treatment for Covid-19 and was taking himself.

For months he had flirted with the virus, calling it a “little flu”, as he flouted social distancing at lively demonstrations and encouraged crowds during outings from the presidential residence, often without a mask.

Juan Orlando Hernandez

The Honduras president announced in June that he had tested positive, along with two other people who worked closely with him.

Hernández said he had started what he called the “MAIZ treatment”, an experimental and unproven combination of microdacyn, azithromycin, ivermectin and zinc. He was briefly hospitalized and released.

He has added his voice to growing pleas for equitable access to any Covid-19 vaccine, asking the recent UN gathering of world leaders, “Are people to be left to die?”

Read also: Indonesian President Jokowi Urges Equal Access to Covid-19 Vaccine in UN Address

Alexander Lukashenko