‘You are a fighter’: PM Modi cheers up coronavirus afflicted Boris Johnson

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi described British Prime Minister Boris Johnson as a “fighter” while wishing him good health and offering prayers for his recovery, soon after he was diagnosed with coronavirus on Friday.

Boris Johnson was the latest in an ever growing list of top politicians, celebrities and royals including Prince Charles, to have been infected with the deadly virus that has spread its tentacles across the globe resulting in over 22,000 deaths and 500,000 infections.

“Dear Prime Minister Boris Johnson, you are a fighter and you will overcome this challenge as well. Prayers for your good health and best wishes in ensuring a healthy United Kingdom,” the Prime Minister tweeted tagging a tweet by his UK counterpart that declared his positive status.

“Over the last 24 hours, I have developed mild symptoms and tested positive for coronavirus. I am now self-isolating, but I will continue to lead the government’s response via video-conference as we fight the virus,” Johnson tweeted earlier on Friday.

Johnson is the second high-profile British leader to test positive recently after Prince Charles. Some ministers in the Johnson government and MPs have also tested positive for Covid-19, including health secretary Matt Hancock, who tweeted to confirm his positive status soon after Johnson.

Johnson, however, appeared to be in good spirits and was determined to continue working.

“I can continue, thanks to the wizardry of technology, to communicate with my top team and lead the national fightback against the virus,” he said in a video he posted on social media.

There is no confirmation from the British government on the source of Johnson’s infection, which has afflicted close to 12,000 people and taken as many as 578 lives in the country.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, Prince Albert II of Monaco, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and Nobel laureate and former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari were some among the big names who have tested positive for the disease.