Mexico City, Jan 25 (IANS): Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced on Monday that he has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, becoming the latest to join a long list of world leaders to be infected with the disease.

Taking to Twitter, the President said: "I regret to inform you that I am infected with Covid-19. The symptoms are mild but I am already under medical treatment. As always, I am optimistic. We will all move forward. Dr. Olga Sanchez Cordero (Secretary of the Interior) will represent me in the morning to report how we do it every day.

"I will be aware of public affairs from the National Palace. For example, tomorrow I will take a call with President Vladimir Putin because, regardless of friendly relations, there is a possibility that they will send us the Sputnik V vaccine."

His announcement comes as Mexico, one of the hardest-hit Latin American country, is battling to contain the virus spread.

As of Monday morning, the country's overall caseload has increased to 1,752,347, while the death toll stood at 149,614, currently the fourth largest in the world.

Lopez Obrador's diagnosis came almost two weeks after it was announced that Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa had tested positive for Covid-19.

Some of the other world leaders who have been infected since the onset of the pandemic early last year are French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Bolivia's former interim President Jeanine Anez, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei and former US President Donald Trump.