Queen Elizabeth tests positive for COVID-19

Last Sunday, Queen Elizabeth the Second tested positive for COVID-19 after experiencing “cold-like” symptoms for a few days, Buckingham Palace said in a statement to the public. The Queen, now 95 years old, is well within the demographic most susceptible to the coronavirus, as over 50 percent of deaths from COVID occur in the 80+ age bracket, according to the World Health Organization.

The Queen has been successfully vaccinated and received a booster shot, so her symptoms are still mild, and according to Buckingham Palace, “She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all the appropriate guidelines” while resuming light duties. Both the queen’s oldest son Prince Charles (73) and her daughter-in-law Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (74) also tested positive for COVID earlier this month. Both fully recovered, however, and are resuming their work at the palace.

That said, the Queen’s schedule has not escaped unscathed. Many of her appearances at diplomatic receptions were canceled a few days after the diagnosis, sparking worries about her overall health. In October, the queen spent a night in the hospital for unspecified preliminary investigations and after she regretfully canceled two other much-anticipated in-person appearances on doctors’ orders, according to palace statements.

As word of the diagnosis got around the country, Britons everywhere wished the Queen a quick recovery. Due to her prominent status as monarch, and her 24/7 medical attention, she certainly has a better chance to fight off the illness than the average 95-year-old.