Notable people diagnosed with Covid-19 in 2020

One event dominated in 2020: a deadly and previously unknown virus wreaked havoc across the globe

WORLDWIDE:

A deadly and previously unknown virus wreaked havoc across the globe, killing more than 1.5 million people, infecting many more and causing economic devastation.

In January, less than a month after reports first emerged that a mysterious respiratory illness was striking people in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the country’s researchers had identified the cause: a new coronavirus, soon to be named SARS-CoV-2.

By January 11, a Chinese–Australian team had posted the virus’s genetic sequence online. Soon afterward scientists made another key, yet alarming, discovery that the virus could pass between people.

 

Here is a look at some of the most notable personalities from around the globe who were diagnosed with the coronavirus in 2020

Politicians

President Emmanuel Macron tested positive for coronavirus on December 17, prompting a track and trace effort across Europe following meetings between the French leader and EU heads of government in recent days. Macron, 42, was running the country remotely after going into quarantine in the Elysee Palace, the presidency said. His wife Brigitte was also self-isolating. Macron had joined all but two of the European Union's 27 leaders at a summit in Brussels the previous week to discuss climate change, the EU budget and Turkey. Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime Giuseppe Conte and others were seen initially mingling in the summit room with their face masks on. REUTERS

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced on November 9 he had tested positive for the coronavirus, and the finance minister, the defense minister and Zelenskiy's top aide were also reported to be infected. "Despite all the quarantine measures, I also received a + (positive) result. I have 37.5, and I wish everyone 36.6!" Zelenskiy said in a Telegram message, referring to his body temperature. The president's wife, Olena, contracted COVID-19 in June and spent several weeks in a hospital. REUTERS

President Donald Trump, who played down the threat of the coronavirus pandemic for months, said on October 2 that he and his wife Melania had tested positive for COVID-19 and were going into quarantine, upending the race for the White House. "We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!" the president said in a tweet. REUTERS

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi left hospital on September 14 after recovering from the coronavirus, saying he had survived "the most dangerous challenge" of his life. "I said to myself, with satisfaction, 'You have got away with it again'," a smiling Berlusconi told reporters at the gates of Milan's San Raffaele hospital, where he was admitted on Sept. 3, after testing positive for COVID-19. The 83-year-old media tycoon developed double pneumonia and was considered a high-risk patient because of his age and underlying health conditions, including heart problems. REUTERS

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, 65, said on July 7 that he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus, after months of playing down the severity of the pandemic. REUTERS

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, 55, was admitted to hospital on April 5 after suffering symptoms including a fever and a cough for more than 10 days. He spent a week in hospital, including three nights in intensive care. REUTERS

The European Union's chief negotiator for Brexit, Michel Barnier, said on March 19 he had tested positive for COVID-19. REUTERS

Bolivia's government has been rocked by the coronavirus, with the president and at least seven of her Cabinet ministers testing positive, straining the interim leadership and casting a shadow over a slated election rerun in October. Conservative caretaker President Jeanine Anez, who is also a candidate, tested positive for the virus July 9. REUTERS

Former Indian president Pranab Mukherjee died on Aug. 31 after a lung infection. He had tested positive for COVID-19 on Aug. 10 and had been in hospital since. He was 84. REUTERS

Sportsmen

Seven-times Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton tested positive for COVID-19 on December 1 and missed the Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain, the first time he had to sit out a race in his F1 career. The Briton was isolating with mild symptoms but otherwise fit and well, his Mercedes team said in a statement. "Lewis was tested three times last week and returned a negative result each time, the last of which was on Sunday afternoon at the Bahrain International Circuit...," said Mercedes. "However, he woke up on Monday morning with mild symptoms and was informed at the same time that a contact prior to arrival in Bahrain had subsequently tested positive. Lewis, therefore, took a further test and returned a positive result. This has since been confirmed by a retest." Pool via REUTERS

Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah has tested positive for the coronavirus on the eve of Egypt's Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Togo, the Egyptian Football Association said November 13. "The player does not suffer from any symptoms. The other members of the team tested negative. Salah underwent the medical protocol after the team's doctor coordinated with his English club. In addition to his isolation inside his room and also isolating all his contacts," the federation said in a statement on its Facebook page. REUTERS

Juventus and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo, 35, missed one Portugal match and four Juventus games, including their Champions League clash with Barcelona, after testing positive on October 13. REUTERS

World-record sprinter and eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt tested positive for the coronavirus and was self-isolating at his home in Jamaica on August 24 after celebrating his 34th birthday with a big bash mask-free a week earlier. "Just to be safe I quarantined myself and just taking it easy," Bolt said. The sprinter said he did not have any symptoms of COVID-19. Bolt said he took the test the day after he celebrated his birthday at a bash where partygoers danced to the hit "Lockdown" by Jamaican reggae singer Koffee. "Best birthday ever," Bolt, who retired from athletics in 2017, wrote on Instagram, posting a photo of himself holding his daughter, Olympia, who was born in May. REUTERS

Novak Djokovic, the men's world number one tennis player, tested positive for COVID-19 on June 23 and then apologized to all individuals who contracted the virus after playing in an exhibition tournament he organized in Serbia and Croatia. The tournament witnessed packed stands during the opening leg in Belgrade, players hugging at the net, playing basketball, posing for pictures and attending press conferences together. Djokovic, 33, organized nights out in Belgrade for the players and pictures and videos of him dancing with the other participants at his event were posted on social media. "I am extremely sorry for each individual case of infection. I hope that it will not complicate anyone's health situation and that everyone will be fine." REUTERS

AC Milan's talismanic forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic tested positive for COVID-19 on September 24. Milan said the 38-year-old was placed in quarantine at home and the health authorities had been informed. "I tested negative for Covid yesterday and positive today. No symptoms what so ever. Covid had the courage to challenge me. Bad idea," said Ibrahimovic on Twitter. The former Barcelona, Juventus, Ajax and Inter Milan forward is the highest-profile Serie A player to test positive since play resumed in June following a three-month stoppage. REUTERS

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed that seven more cricketers have returned positive tests for Covid-19. Mohammad Hafeez was one among seven Pakistan players who tested positive for Covid-19 on June 23.

Pakistani cricketer Shadab Khan tested positive for COVID-19 after being screened in Rawalpindi ahead of tour of England next month, the country’s cricket board (PCB) said on June 23. REUTERS

Pakistani cricketer Haris Rauf tested positive for COVID-19 after being screened in Rawalpindi ahead of tour of England next month, the country’s cricket board (PCB) said on June 23.

Pakistani cricketer Haider Ali tested positive for COVID-19 after being screened in Rawalpindi ahead of tour of England next month, the country’s cricket board (PCB) said on June 23. Six members of the Pakistan squad that travelled to New Zealand also tested positive for COVID-19 on November 26. It was not made clear if the six who tested positive are players, staff members or others in the touring party. REUTERS

Celebrities

Actor Hugh Grant, 60, says he contracted the coronavirus likely in February, and that he tested positive for antibodies, he revealed in an appearance on The Stephen Colbert Show on November 11. REUTERS

Rapper Kanye West says he contracted the coronavirus in February, he told Forbes in July. "Chills, shaking in the bed, taking hot showers, looking at videos telling me what I'm supposed to do to get over it," West described to the magazine. REUTERS

Pakistani actress Mahira Khan has tested positive for Covid-19. She is currently living in isolation. The actress took to her verified Instagram account to share the news with her fans and followers. Mahira also asked netizens to recommend films which she can watch while staying in isolation during her ailment.

Pro-wrestler turned Hollywood actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson said on social media on September 2, that he, his wife and their two young children tested positive for COVID-19 in recent weeks but that they all have recovered and are healthy. Johnson said in the Instagram post said, "I can tell you this has been one of the most challenging and difficult things we have ever had to endure as a family, and for me personally." The actor urged people to wear face masks to limit the spread of coronavirus. "It baffles me that some people out there, including some politicians, will take this idea of wearing masks and make it a political agenda," he said. "It is a fact and it's the right thing to do, and it is the responsible thing to do." REUTERS

British actor Robert Pattinson tested positive for COVID-19, news media reported on Sept. 3, halting production of "The Batman." REUTERS

Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan, 77, (R) and his son, Abhishek (L), entered hospital in Mumbai after testing positive July 11. Daughter-in-law and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (C) and his eight-year-old granddaughter also tested positive and were initially quarantined at home but also entered hospital on July 17. REUTERS

British actor Idris Elba said on March 16 he had tested positive, saying in a Twitter post that he had no symptoms but was isolating himself from others. Elba said he took the test after discovering he had been exposed to someone with the disease. "Stay positive. Don't freak out," Elba, 47, said in a video accompanying the Twitter post. REUTERS

Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks and his wife, actress Rita Wilson, tested positive in March. Both 63, they were in Australia because Hanks was working on a film. REUTERS

Former Bond girl Olga Kurylenko, 40, who appeared in "Quantum of Solace" in 2008, said on March 15 that she was "locked up at home" after testing positive for the coronavirus. REUTERS

Actor Neil Patrick Harris said in a series of interviews in September that he, his husband David Burtka and their two children had been ill in March and April, and that symptoms lasted for several weeks. REUTERS

American singer Pink, 40, said on April 5 that she and her three-year-old son Jameson had tested positive for COVID-19 two weeks prior and had since recovered. She called for testing to be made free and more available, saying it was an "absolute travesty and failure of our government to not make testing more widely accessible." She donated $1 million to relief efforts. REUTERS

On June 13, designer Maheen Khan also took to social media to confirm that she too had contracted the virus. “Dear friends i tested positive for Covid-19 on the 8th of June… I am fever free today. Allah is kind.” We hear Khan is recovering at home. The designer gained global recognition last year when she dressed Kate Middleton during her royal visit to Pakistan. INSTAGRAM/GULABO

Other notables

Prince William contracted COVID-19 in April at a similar time to his father, the heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, a source close to his Kensington Palace office said. The 38-year-old, second-in-line to the British throne, kept his diagnosis a secret because he did not want to alarm the country, said The Sun newspaper. He was treated by palace doctors and followed government guidelines by isolating at his family's home Anmer Hall, in Norfolk in eastern England, the newspaper said. "William was hit pretty hard by the virus - it really knocked him for six. At one stage he was struggling to breathe, so obviously everyone around him was pretty panicked," an unnamed source told The Sun. Kensington Palace declined to comment officially on the story but did not deny The Sun's report. The Daily Mail newspaper said that neither William's wife Kate nor his young children George, Charlotte and Louis had tested positive for the virus. REUTERS

Britain's Prince Charles, 71, tested positive for the virus, his residence said on March 25. The heir to the throne had self-isolated at his residence in Scotland for seven days with mild symptoms. REUTERS

Prince Albert of Monaco, 62, tested positive for coronavirus but his health "is not a cause for concern," his office said on March 19. REUTERS

Sophie Trudeau, 45, wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, tested positive for coronavirus on March 12. The entire family self-isolated for two weeks. She had returned from London and experienced flu-like symptoms, the prime minister's office said. In a personal note, Sophie said she was "experiencing uncomfortable symptoms of the virus," adding that she "will be back on my feet soon." REUTERS