Coronavirus chaos spares no one, as sports stars, politicians & Hollywood A-listers are INFECTED

News broke late Sunday that a titan of the music industry, Universal Music chief Lucian Grainge, had been diagnosed with coronavirus infection, showing once again that the outbreak spares no one, regardless of fame or fortune.

Arguably one of the most powerful people in his field, Grainge, who turned 60 on February 29, was struck down by the illness and is currently receiving treatment at UCLA Medical Center. He joins a host of celebrities from the sports and entertainment world, as well as the political sphere, to have contracted Covid-19. 

Here RT looks at some of the highest-profile cases of coronavirus infection, among the 178,800 cases worldwide.

Hollywood

Idris Elba – known for his star role in the UK crime drama ‘Luther’ – is the latest celeb to contract the illness, announcing his positive test result in a tweet on Monday afternoon.

“I feel ok, I have no symptoms so far but have been isolated since I found out about my possible exposure to the virus,” Elba said, noting he was tested after being “exposed to someone who also tested positive” last Friday.

Stay home people and be pragmatic. I will keep you updated on how I’m doing. No panic.

The 'Game Of Thrones' actor Kristofer Hivju also revealed on Monday that he was self-quarantining with his family in Norway, and urged his Instagram followers to “just do everything you can to stop the virus from spreading.”

Please take care of each other, keep your distance, and stay healthy!

Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson have been isolated in an Australian hospital since being diagnosed with Covid-19 earlier this month. Despite the news, the pair appear in good spirits, all things considered. 

Meanwhile, Ukrainian-born actress Olga Kurylenko, 40, also confirmed via social media that she was “locked up at home” after testing positive for Covid-19. 

Sports 

NBA star Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz tested positive after appearing to publicly make light of the crisis. His test result brought about the end of the NBA's 2020 season. Soon after, his teammate Donovan Mitchell also tested positive for the coronavirus. 

Across the pond, Arsenal soccer manager Mikel Arteta, 37, tested positive as did Chelsea's teenage star winger Callum Hudson-Odoi. The currently-suspended Premier League season for 2020 faces an uncertain future, with fierce debate over whether or not to play the remaining fixtures behind closed doors, if at all. In the interim, Chelsea's full squad, coaching staff and backroom staff have all self-isolated. 

Evangelos Marinakis, owner of both Greek side Olympiakos and British Championship side Nottingham Forest, also tested positive for the virus having met a number of Arsenal players and staff following a Europa League tie in February. Italy-based Argentinian footballer Paulo Dybala also announced he had contracted the virus. 

Politics 

Sophie Trudeau, wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, was diagnosed with coronavirus infection on March 12. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s wife Begona Gomez has since also been diagnosed. 

In the UK, Nadine Dorries, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care was diagnosed on March 10, while elsewhere in the Commonwealth, Australian Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has tested positive and is in quarantine in hospital. 

Leader of Italy's co-ruling Democratic party Nicola Zingaretti confirmed that she has been infected and Fabio Wajngarten, an advisor to Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, tested positive after returning from a trip where he met US President Donald Trump. Trump later confirmed that he had tested negative for the virus. 

As of Monday, the coronavirus pandemic has claimed the lives of over 6,700 people, and some 77,500 patients have recovered from the infection. Strict adherence to social distancing appears to be the only answer until such time as a vaccine or cure are discovered, however people in several countries are apparently struggling to give up their partying lifestyle.

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