Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson Photo: Courtesy of Weibo

Chinese netizens expressed concern and sent their best wishes after famous US actor Tom Hanks announced that he and his wife had tested positive for coronavirus.

"We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches," the actor, who is in Australia to film a movie, posted on Twitter on Wednesday. He wrote that both he and his wife Rita Wilson went to get tested and the results were positive, and they will "be tested, observed and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires."

Chet Hanks, one of the Hanks' sons, later posted a video for thanking fans for worrying about his parents. He said he believed they would be all right. The video has been gone viral on Sina Weibo.

The hashtag for the news has earned 510 million views on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo in just a few hours.

Hundreds of thousands Chinese netizens took to social media to show their concern and pray for the couple to recover. 

"Tom Hanks has survived World War II, the Vietnam War, a plane crash, being stranded on an island, being stranded in space, jumping into a volcano, being kidnapped by Somalian pirates and multiple heartbreaks... I'm pretty sure he's got #Coronavirus recovered," one Chinese netizen commented on Sina Weibo.

"'Life is a box of chocolates, you never know what you are gonna get.' Our Gump, please get well," another Chinese netizen wrote on Sina Weibo.

The Academy Award-winning actor is hugely popular among Chinese netizens for his classic films including Sleepless in Seattle, Forrest Gump and Apollo 13.