Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday confirmed that he and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for coronavirus.
He tweeted, “Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!”
Following the announcement, several world leaders issued statements wishing a speedy recovery.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was one of the first to comment on the news. Modi wished Donald and Melania Trump “quick recovery and good health” in a statement on Twitter.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wished, “My best wishes to President Trump and the First Lady,” Johnson, who was the first world leader to be hospitalised after contracting COVID-19, said on Twitter. “Hope they both have a speedy recovery from coronavirus.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin wished Donald Trump a speedy recovery in a telegram. “I am convinced that your vitality, good spirits and optimism will help you cope with this dangerous virus,” the Kremlin quoted Putin as saying in the message.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is wishing the U.S. president and the first lady a “full and speedy recovery” and tweeted on his official account, “Like millions of Israelis, Sara and I are thinking of President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump and wish our friends a full and speedy recovery.”
In a tweet, WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wished the couple “a full and speedy recovery”. Trump is pulling the United States out of the WHO, accusing it of mishandling the coronavirus pandemic and being too close to China.
Mr. Trump is not the only major world leader known to have contracted the virus.Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro too contracted the virus in July. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spent a week in the hospital, including three nights in intensive care, where he was given oxygen and watched around the clock by medical workers.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel self-isolated after a doctor who gave her a vaccination tested positive for the virus.