Covid-19: Which world leaders have been infected so far?

Published October 2, 2020
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was the first major world leader confirmed to have Covid-19. — AFP/File
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was the first major world leader confirmed to have Covid-19. — AFP/File

US President Donald Trump has tested positive for the coronavirus, joining a small group of world leaders who have been infected. Trump is 74, putting him at higher risk of serious complications.

Among those who didn't contract the virus but took precautions are German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who self-isolated after a doctor who gave her a vaccination tested positive for the virus, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who worked from home after his wife fell ill.

In Pakistan, a number of lawmakers, including Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, contracted the virus since its outbreak in the country in February.

Here’s a look at other leaders who have been infected.

Boris Johnson

The British prime minister was the first major world leader confirmed to have Covid-19. He was moved to intensive care in April after his virus symptoms dramatically worsened a day after he was hospitalised 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”.

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 as he flouted social distancing at lively demonstrations and encouraged crowds during outings from the presidential residence, often without a mask.

Juan Orlando Hernández

The Honduras president announced in June that he and his wife had tested positive, along with two other people who worked closely with them. Hernández said he had started what he called the “MAIZ treatment”, an experimental and unproven combination of microdacyn, azithromycin, ivermectin and zinc that his government was promoting as an affordable way of attacking the disease. He was briefly hospitalised and released in July.

Hernandez 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?”

Alejandro Giammattei

The Guatemalan president said he tested positive for the virus in September. “My symptoms are very mild. Up to now, I have body aches, it hurt more yesterday than today, like a bad cold,” the president said during a televised address. “I don’t have a fever, I have a bit of a cough.” He said he’d be working from home.

Jeanine Anez

The virus drove the Bolivian interim president into isolation in July, but she said she was feeling well.

Luis Abinader

The newly elected president of the Dominican Republic contracted and recovered from Covid-19 during his campaign. He spent weeks in isolation before the country’s July election.

Iranian leaders

Iran, the epicentre of the Mideast’s initial coronavirus outbreak, has seen several top officials test positive. Among them are senior Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri and Vice President Massoumeh Ebtekar. Cabinet members have tested positive too. In February, Iran denied for days that the virus was in the country. After struggling to lock down, Iran has largely reopened its economy even as cases and deaths rise higher.

Opinion

Editorial

Delicate balance
Updated 13 Mar, 2026

Delicate balance

PAKISTAN has to maintain a delicate balance where the geopolitics of the US-Israeli aggression against Iran are...
Soaring costs
13 Mar, 2026

Soaring costs

FOR millions of households already grappling with Ramazan inflation, the sharp increase in petrol and diesel prices...
Perilous lines
13 Mar, 2026

Perilous lines

THE law minister’s veiled warning to the media to “exercise caution” and not cross “red lines” while...
Collective security
Updated 12 Mar, 2026

Collective security

Regional states need to sit down and talk. They must also pledge and work towards collective security.
Spectrum leap
12 Mar, 2026

Spectrum leap

THE sale of 480 MHz of fifth-generation telecom spectrum for $507m is a major milestone in Pakistan’s digital...
Toxic fallout
12 Mar, 2026

Toxic fallout

WARS can leave environmental scars that remain long after the fighting is over. The strikes on Iran’s oil...