Regardless of the way coronavirus has spread rapidly around the world, infecting hundreds of thousands of people, for many individuals the concept of the virus and what it seems foreign. In large part, this is because while there is an extremely significant amount of people infected, many of us don’t know them. However, with the spread of the virus, high profile figures who have tested positive continue to share their experiences with the virus on social media. This not only aids in giving perspective to their followers, but encourages them to do their part and follow guidelines by staying inside and practicing social distancing.
Possibly the first of all celebrities to announce testing positive for COVID-19 was actor Tom Hanks. Hanks tweeted on March 11 informing everyone that both he and his wife, Rita Wilson, had tested positive and were self-isolating in Australia. In his post, he listed some of the symptoms which led him to get tested for the virus such as fatigue, body aches, and chills. Fans reacted to Hanks’ announcement by flooding Twitter with loving messages wishing him a speedy recovery. Following Tom Hanks’ announcement that he had tested positive for COVID-19, Idris Elba took to social media, posting a video of himself explaining that he had been tested for the virus after coming into contact with someone who had tested positive. Elba stated that although he contracted the virus, at that moment he was feeling no symptoms but was still self-isolating in order to prevent the spread. Elba also encouraged people to stay home and refrain from panicking during this time.
Perhaps one of the youngest celebrities to contract coronavirus was the star of “The Bachelor” Season 23, Colton Underwood. On March 20, Underwood posted a video on Instagram saying that despite being young (28 years old) and healthy that he too, had contracted coronavirus. Underwood stated that he was posting the video not to incite any fear or panic but to urge viewers to stay home and practice social distancing regardless of age or health status in order to stop the spread of the virus.
Other high profile figures that have tested positive for COVID-19 include athletes, politicians and members of various royal families all of which are in self-quarantine and have shared statements regarding the status of their health.
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