As the deadly coronavirus has infected millions around the world, U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump have also tested positive for COVID-19 after months of playing down its significance and refusing to wear a mask, joining a growing group of world leaders who have been infected.

The number of cases worldwide has soared past 32 million, with deaths surpassing 1 million. The global economy has been devastated and major cultural and sports events have been disrupted. The U.S. has the highest death toll, with more than 206,000 fatalities. The U.S. has exceeded 7 million cases, more than a fifth of the global total, despite accounting for only 4% of the world population.

Trump's diagnosis marks a major blow for a president who has been trying desperately to convince the American public that the worst of the pandemic is behind them even as cases continue to rise just weeks before the Nov. 3 election. It also stands as the most serious known public health scare encountered by any sitting American president in recent history.

Trump’s positive test comes just hours after the White House announced that senior aide Hope Hicks had come down with the virus after traveling with the president several times this week. Trump was last seen by reporters returning to the White House on Thursday evening and looked to be in good health. Trump is 74 years old, putting him at a higher risk of serious complications.

In the best of cases, if he develops no symptoms, which can include fever, cough and breathing trouble, it will likely force him off the campaign trail just weeks before the election and puts his participation in the second presidential debate, scheduled for Oct. 15 in Miami, into doubt. Trump’s handling of the pandemic has already been a major flashpoint in his race against Democrat Joe Biden.

World reacts to Trump's infection

World leaders were quick to wish Trump a swift recovery. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan wished a speedy recovery to Trump and the first lady. "I sincerely hope that they will overcome the quarantine period without problems and regain their health as soon as possible," President Erdoğan wrote on Twitter.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also wished him a speedy recovery in a telegram on Friday, saying he was sure the U.S. leader's qualities would help him fight off the coronavirus. "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.

Trump is not the only major world leader known to have contracted the virus. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was the first major world leader confirmed to have COVID-19. He was moved to intensive care in April after his symptoms dramatically worsened a day after he was hospitalized for what was called routine tests. He was given oxygen but did not need a ventilator, officials said. He later expressed his gratitude to the National Health Service staff for saving his life when his treatment could have "gone either way."

Britain has reported some 450,000 coronavirus infections since March. Its official death toll linked to COVID-19 is more than 42,000, Europe's highest total. There was a 61% increase in positive COVID-19 cases in England's latest weekly data, with more than four times the number of infections recorded as there were at the end of August, the health service's test and trace scheme said Thursday. Health experts warned earlier this week that the coronavirus is out of control in the country as case numbers and hospital admissions rise despite a slew of new restrictions on social gatherings.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was back to shaking hands with citizens in July, less than six days after announcing his convalescence from the disease. Notoriously skeptical of the disease, which he often compared to a common flu, he managed not to get it for multiple months even as it sickened many members of his Cabinet.

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel self-isolated after a doctor who gave her a vaccination tested positive for the virus, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau worked from home after his wife fell ill. Former Italian President Silvo Berlusconi was hospitalized only last month with the virus. "I think it's the worst experience of my life," he said at the time. He recently celebrated his 84th birthday in recuperative isolation.