Dwayne Johnson poses for photos at his Hollywood Walk of Fame Star ceremony in Los Angeles, the United States, Dec. 13, 2017. Dwayne Johnson was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

Chinese netizens expressed concern after US Hollywood actor and former professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson announced on Thursday that he and his family had tested positive for COVID-19, with many expressing their hope that they can quickly recover.  

Johnson is a well-known star in China, where his Fast and the Furious films have been major box-office draws. 

Johnson announced through Instagram that he, his wife and his two young daughters, aged 2 and 4, had tested positive for COVID-19.

"I can tell you that this has been one of the most challenging and difficult things we have ever had to endure as a family," said the star in a video. 

The hashtag for the news had earned 150 million views on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo as of Thursday afternoon. 

Many Chinese netizens expressed surprise and concern after hearing the news. 

"OMG! I just watched his movie yesterday, and today he was infected with COVID-19. Hope you will be fine," a Chinese fan commented on Sina Weibo.

"It seems that the virus is so lethal. Johnson as a professional wrestler having such a strong body is infected with the coronavirus, then what about the people with weak health?" one Chinese netizen signed on Weibo. 

"I believe Johnson will recover soon since he has strong body, but I am very worried about his little daughters' conditions. Poor little girls, I sincerely hope they will be fine," another netizen wrote on Sina Weibo. 

Johnson recently nabbed the title of the world's highest-paid actor with $87.5 million between June 2019 and June 2020 with his starring role in the upcoming Netflix film Red Notice, according to Forbes. 

He spoke out against US President Donald Trump in a new video supporting Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality after the death of George Floyd.

Johnson is not the only celebrity to test positive for the novel coronavirus recently.

On Wednesday, well-known soccer star Neymar also confirmed that he had tested positive.

The related hashtag has earned 380 million views on Sina Weibo, with many Chinese fans remarking that he had come down with the virus instead of winning the Union of European Football Associations Champions League.