A couple of days ago, United States president Donald Trump together with his wife Melania Trump tested for the deadly COVID-19 disease. But he is only alone. The heads of state who have tested for the deadly coronavirus disease are scattered across the country. From Brazil to Burundi, to the United Kingdom, the list goes on and on. Without much ado, in this article, we will discuss the heads of states who have so far tested positive for the COVID-19 disease.
It is believed that Donald Trump contracted the deadly virus when he interacted with his close aide Hope Hicks on Tuesday last week. Ms Hicks in turn is believed to have contracted the disease after interacting with an infected Trump supporter during a previous political rally.
But Donald Trump is only one of the heads of state to have contracted the dreaded viral disease in recent times. Here are other world leaders who have been admitted to a hospital after getting infected with COVID-19
The Heads Of State Who Have Tested Positive For COVID-19
1. Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Boris Johnson was the first of the heads of states to contract the deadly coronavirus disease. He contracted the disease on March 27, 2020 and was hospitalized at a London, England hospital on April 6, 2020 for more tests. Prior to him being hospitalized, Mr. Johnson was running the U.K. government from his home at 10 Downing Street where he was undergoing a self-imposed quarantine.
A day after being hospitalized, Boris Johnson was moved to Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on April 7 after his condition worsened. But was moved out of the ICU two days later on April 9, 2020.
The British Prime Minister was discharged from hospital on April 12, 2020 after his health significantly improved. But he continued to self-isolate at home for a further 14 days so that the virus could clear out of his body as well as to avoid the transmission of the disease to others.
2. Mikhail Mishustin, The Prime Minister of Russia
Mikhail Mishustin was the second of the heads of states who have contracted the deadly coronavirus so far. Mr. Mishustin contracted the disease on April 30,2020, roughly a month after the U.K. prime minister did.
“The tests I did for coronavirus came back positive,” Mishustin said in a televised video conversation with President Vladimir Putin. “As a result, I must observe self-isolation and fulfill my doctors’ orders, which is necessary to protect my colleagues.”
While Mr. Mishustin was in isolation due to him contracting COVID-19, he approved the appointment of his deputy Andrey Belousov as the acting Russian prime minister. But president Putin said he will still seek Mr. Mishustin’s approval before making any significant economic policies that affected Russia.
Mr. Mishustin return to his official duties on May 19 after successfully recovering from the deadly coronavirus disease.
3. Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of Armenia
Nikol Pashinyan was the third to join the heads of states group that has tested positive for the deadly COVID-19 disease. Mr. Pashinyan tested positive on June 1, 2020. The Armenian Prime Minsiter tested positive for COVID-19 when Armenia had registered 9,492 confirmed coronavirus cases and 139 deaths.
“I didn’t have any symptoms, I decided to take a test as I was planning to visit the frontline,” Pashinyan said during a Facebook live video. He was one of the few heads of state who were asymptomatic after testing positive for the deadly coronavirus disease.
After going into a self-imposed quarantine, Mr. Pashinyan declared he has recovered from the disease after testing negative of COVID-19 on June 8th, 2020 more than a week after testing positive.
“We have just got the results of the repeated [COVID] tests of our family. The results are negative for all of us,” Pashinyan wrote on social media, adding that he had fully returned to work.
4. Juan Orlando Hernandez, President of Honduras
Juan Orlando Hernandez together with his wife tested positive for COVID-19 on June 16, 2020. At the time, Honduras had 10,000 confirmed coronavirus cases with at least 330 deaths. Unlike his Armenian counterpart, President Hernandez was symptomatic.
“Over the weekend I began to feel some discomfort and today I have been diagnosed as having been infected with COVID-19,” said Juan Orlando Hernandez during a press conference. Mr. Hernandez decided to work from home while being treated for mild symptoms of COVID-19.
The Honduras president was released from hospital on July 2nd, 2020, 16 days after being diagnosed of the deadly virus. Mr. Henerndez was the first head of state to test positive for the deadly virus in Latin America.
5. Jair Bolsonaro, President of Brazil
Jair Bolsonaro was very well known to be skeptical of the existence of coronavirus. In a taped speech, the Brazilian president was heard saying that the disease was a hoax meant to put people indoor in order to cripple his country’s economy.
But on July 7th, 2020, Jair Bolsonaro tested positive for COVID-19 after experiencing high fever. His opponents rejoiced upon hearing the news of him contracting the disease and termed it the karma payback. Because of Jair Bolsonaro’s stand with regards to Coronavirus, two of his health ministers tendered their resignation from the ministry of health.
Other than his initial positive test results, Mr. Bolsonaro tested positive for COVID-19 again on July 16, 2020 for the second time. He also tested positive for the third time on July 23, 2020.
“President Jair Bolsonaro continues to be in good condition, accompanied by the presidency’s medical team. The test taken by the president yesterday, (July) 23, resulted positive,” said the statement.
6. Jeanine Anez, President of Bolivia
President Anez tested positive for the novel coronavirus on July 9, 2020, two days after her Brazilian counterpart revealed positive test result. Ms Anez went into a 14 day self-isolation to help her body recover from the virus. At the time when president Anez tested positive, Bolivia had 43,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus with 1,500 deaths.
President Anez ascended to power after the ouster of the first Indigenous Bolivian president Mr. Evo Morales. Ms Anez initially said she will step down after her care taker term ended but later revealed that she was on the ballot for president in the September elections.
President Anez returned to work on July 27, 2020 after recovering from the disease. “Thank you with all my heart for the love and support during my coronavirus illness,” Anez said in a tweet. “Bolivians are a great family. We will move forward.”
7. Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus
Alexander Lukashenko tested positive for the deadly coronavirus on July 28, 2020. He was asymptomatic. “The most surprising thing is that today you are seeing a person who managed to power through coronavirus standing on his feet,” Lukashenko told state-run media agency Belta. “Doctors made this conclusion yesterday—it was asymptomatic.”, the Belarusian president added.
Mr. Lukashenko is well known to regard coronavirus as nothing more than a “psychosis”. To date, he has refused to lockdown his country hence breaking away from other European nations’ decision to lockdown their economies in an attempt to curb the spread of the deadly virus.
Belarus held presidential elections on August 8 in which Mr. Lukashenko claimed he worn more than 80% of the vote. However, this has been disputed as the election was marred with violence and mass protest calling him to step down.
8. Alejandro Giammattei, President of Guatemala.
Alejandro Giammattei contracted COVID-19 on September 18, 2020 after experiencing high fever and body aches. At the time, Guatemala had 84, 344 confirmed Coronavirus cases with more than 3,076 deaths. “I ask for your prayers,” said Giammettei on his live remarks. The 64-year-old president has multiple sclerosis and walks with the help of a cane.
Upon his positive test, Mr. Giammettei was quickly placed in a quarantine to prevent him from spreading the virus to other people. “We’ve been all over the country, so it was logical that we were going to get it,” Giammattei said.
9. Donald Trump, President of the United States of America.
On October 2nd, 2020, president Trump tested positive for the deadly COVID-19 disease. It is widely believed that the American president contracted the disease after getting into close proximity with Hope Hicks (his political aide) three days early during a presidential debate with Democratic contender, Joe Biden. It has been reported that the Mr. Trump and all of his political allies were inside Airforce One together more than 2 hours without wearing a mask.
Like Belarus and Brazilian presidents, Mr. Trump is well known to downplay the dangers of COVID-19 as he had termed it a “little flu”. Mr. Trump has also been a laughing stock of the world primarily due to his insistence that people should drink sanitizers and detergents in order to kill the coronavirus in their body.
On Friday October 3rd, Mr. Trump was airlifted to Walter Reed military hospital. His doctor reported that president Donald Trump’s oxygen concentration had dropped below 94% on late Friday and again during the course of the day on Saturday October 4th.
On Sunday October 5th, 2020, Donald Trump left Walter Reed hospital and patrolled the neighborhood streets in which he greeted his supporters. Mr. Trump was trying to project an image of strength by appearing in public while receiving treatment for deadly viral disease.
However, his action attracted wide condemnation from mainstream media who faulted him for endangering his security detail who were inside the SUV in which he was travelling in.
10. Pierre Nkurunziza, President of Burundi.
Pierre Nkurunziza and his wife tested positive for COVID-19 on May 30, 2020. Mr. Nkurunziza died on June 9, 2020 after suffering cardiac arrest that is believed to have been caused by effects of the deadly coronavirus disease. His wife was flown to Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya for further treatment. Before his death, president Pierre Nkurunziza was on his last term as president of Burundi.
Évariste Ndayishimiye was sworn in as the new Burundi president on August 20, 2020.
