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Since early 2020, many of the biggest names in Hollywood, sports, royalty and politics have contracted the coronavirus. Wonderwall.com rounded up the well-known people who’ve had COVID-19, starting with this celebrity… “Succession” actress Sarah Snook missed the 2022 Critics Choice Awards — where she won the best supporting actress trophy — after testing positive for COVID-19, her costar Kieran Culkin revealed. “She tested positive for COVID this morning. … She just won an award, she’s fine,” he told the media.
Keep reading to see who else among the famous has been infected with the coronavirus…
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Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard announced on Instagram on March 10 that they had contracted COVID-19. This was the first time they couple had tested positive for the virus, and, as Jill said, “It’s not fun.” She added, “With a little help from family, we were still able to celebrate Derick’s birthday at home yesterday, even though it was different than we’d originally hoped.”
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Former President Barack Obama is, for the most part, unfazed after testing positive for COVID-19. “I’ve had a scratchy throat for a couple days, but am feeling fine otherwise,” he said on his official Twitter account on March 13. The former first lady Michelle Obama, had tested negative. On Facebook, the ex-POTUS added, “Michelle and I are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted. It’s a good reminder that, even as cases go down, you should get vaccinated and boosted if you haven’t already to help prevent more serious symptoms and giving COVID to others.” He encouraged his Twitter followers to get vaccinated, as well.
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John Mayer is unlucky. After catching COVID-19 in early January 2022, which forced him to miss a performance with the band Dead & Company in Mexico, he got sick again for the second time in two months. (A February 2022 study from Denmark confirms it’s possible to be infected with the Omicron variant twice.) On Feb. 24, 2022 — days after his drummer tested positive — the Grammy-winning musician took to Instagram to share the news, which prompted changes to his “Sob Rock” tour. “Whelp. More members of the band tested positive for Covid today, and I was one of them. This means we have to reschedule the next four shows, which we’ve already rescheduled and posted above. I’m so sorry to make you change your plans,” John wrote on Instagram. “This is a bummer for everyone in the band and crew, to say nothing of the question hanging over everyone’s head – mine included – as to how I tested positive on PCR twice in two months. (The first was extremely mild, but this one’s got the better of me.) We’ll give you everything we’ve got at these upcoming shows, just as soon as we rest up and regroup. With love and appreciation… me.”
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On Feb. 20, 2022, a rep for Justin Bieber confirmed to media outlets that the pop star had tested positive for COVID-19 one day earlier. The news came after his camp announced that the Feb. 20 Las Vegas show on his new “Justice World Tour” had been postponed amid a coronavirus outbreak on the singer’s team.
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On Feb. 20, 2022, Buckingham Palace announced that Queen Elizabeth II had tested positive for COVID-19 and was “experiencing mild cold-like symptoms but expects to continue light duties at Windsor [Castle] over the coming week.” Media outlets further reported a number of castle staff had been diagnosed with COVID around the same time. The news of the 95-year-old monarch’s illness came more than a week after her son and heir, Prince Charles, tested positive on Feb. 10 — he first contracted COVID back in March 2020 — followed by his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, whose positive test result was announced four days later on Feb. 14. While the Prince of Wales and his future queen consort have both confirmed they are vaccinated and boosted, the queen’s camp has not publicly shared if she received a booster. However, in the wake of her diagnosis, Sky News reported that it’s understood that the monarch, who’s celebrating 70 years on the throne in 2022, is “triple vaccinated.” Amid her infection, Her Majesty carried on with her official duties, sending a message to Great Britain’s curling team following their victory in the Winter Olympics: “I send my warmest congratulations to the Team GB Women’s Curling team on your outstanding performance in winning the Gold Medal at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, following the Silver Medal achieved by the Men’s Curling team yesterday,” she said in a statement, according to People magazine. “I know that your local communities and people throughout the United Kingdom will join me in sending our good wishes to you, your coaches and the friends and family who have supported you in your great success.”
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Mark Wahlberg revealed on the Feb. 17, 2022, episode of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” that he had COVID-19 over the 2021 holidays. “We always go on holiday at Christmas and I’m down in the basement a couple days before Christmas, I don’t get to open any gifts with anyone or anything and next thing you know, they’re still going on holiday,” he shared. “I hear the car getting ready to go, the doors are shutting, and I’m like, ‘Are you not gonna come to the stairs and say goodbye?’ But they did come to the stairs and stayed not 6 feet apart but like, 36 feet apart.” He joined his wife, Rhea Durham, and their four kids after finishing his quarantine and testing negative twice but they were a little unsure about his health at first, he recalled. “They’re like, ‘What are you doing here? Are you sure he’s OK?’ I still had a little bit of a cough and stuff like that. They didn’t want me there,” he quipped. “I understand because the last holiday we had, my wife got COVID the first day we arrived and then my youngest son and my youngest daughter all got it and they were quarantined. And we had to leave to go to New York so it was a little payback, a little karma.”
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Three members of BTS were infected with the coronavirus over the 2021 holidays, their management company, Big Hit Music, confirmed. On Dec. 25, 2021, RM (third from right) and Jin (third from left) tested positive for COVID-19 — just one day after fellow member Suga (second from left) was diagnosed. According to their managers, all had mild or asymptomatic cases. All three singers are also vaccinated, having received their second shots in August 2021. On Jan. 30, 2021, another member, Jimin (second from right), was admitted to a hospital due to sudden abdominal pain and was diagnosed with acute appendicitis, for which he underwent successful emergency surgery on Jan. 31 — and the K-Pop star, who also had a mild sore throat, tested positive for COVID-19. Then on Feb. 15, 2022, BTS’s record label confirmed that another member, V (left), briefly visited a hospital after testing positive for COVID-19. “V completed two rounds of COVID-19 vaccinations and is not presenting any extraordinary symptoms other than a mild fever and sore throat,” the label said.
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Just a few weeks after Simon Cowell broke his arm, bruised his face and suffered a possible concussion after crashing on his e-bike (again), he found himself facing another health setback: He tested positive for COVID-19. On Feb. 10, a spokesperson told MailOnline that the music mogul was absent from “Britain’s Got Talent” auditions due to his diagnosis. “Simon was unable to attend filming today as he was isolating at home after testing positive for COVID-19,” the spokesperson said.
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Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II tested positive for COVID-19 on Feb. 8, 2022, and was displaying mild symptoms as she isolated at Christian IX’s Palace at Amalienborg, Denmark, her office said. King Felipe of Spain tested positive on Feb. 9, 2022, after experiencing “mild symptoms” the previous night and was isolating for a week per his country’s guidelines.
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On Jan. 25, 2022, music star Elton John announced that he was forced to reschedule two shows in Dallas on his “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour that week after experiencing a breakthrough case of COVID-19. “It’s always a massive disappointment to move shows and I’m so sorry to anyone who’s been inconvenienced by this but I want to keep myself and my team safe,” he announced on his Instagram Stories. He confirmed he’s fully vaccinated and boosted and was experiencing only mild symptoms.
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Meghan McCain detailed her recent breakthrough COVID-19 infection in her Jan. 26, 2022, DailyMail.com column, revealing in the lengthy post that she and husband Ben Domenech both tested positive though their toddler daughter, Liberty, “mercifully … never did and never got sick,” the former “The View” host wrote. “But my husband and I got very sick — more sick than the ‘mild Omicron’ headlines and Twitter streams suggested. I am still now, a few weeks out from testing positive, waking up feeling the aftereffects of a cold in my throat, getting fatigued easily, and unable to taste food or smell anything normally,” she continued, adding, “I do not want to sound like a baby, or ungrateful because I am well aware of how much worse things could have been, but Covid was much rougher than I anticipated given that we are fully-vaccinated. What I experienced wasn’t mild, it wasn’t easy, and I am still fearful of the unknown long-term side effects that I may experience.”
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Sarah Palin — the former governor of Alaska who in 2008 was the Republican vice presidential nominee — has COVID again. In a March 31, 2021, statement to People magazine, she confirmed she and other family members had tested positive. The mother of five explained that her case was proof that “anyone can catch this” and went on to share that her early symptoms included “a slight fever and sore muscles.” She said the coronavirus can “really knock you down” and encouraged people to mask up and do all they can to prevent getting others sick. “I strongly encourage everyone to use common sense to avoid spreading this and every other virus out there,” she said, adding, “…please be vigilant, don’t be frightened, and I advise reprioritizing some personal time and resources to ensure as healthy a lifestyle as you can create so when viruses do hit, you have at least some armor to fight it.” In December 2021, she publicly criticized vaccines, saying at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest, that she would never get the vaccine. A month later, she caught the coronavirus again: On Jan. 24, 2022, a judge hearing Sarah’s defamation case against The New York Times revealed in court that its start would be delayed because the former politician had tested positive the previous night. In the days that followed, she sparked more controversy when it emerged she’d not only dined inside a Manhattan restaurant (NYC public health policy only allows vaccinated individuals to eat indoors) but that she ate out again — this time outdoors — two days after testing positive instead of isolating.
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“Good Morning America” stars Amy Robach and Robin Roberts revealed COVID-19 diagnoses on Jan. 20, 2022. “I’m quickly on the mend because I’m fully vaccinated and boosted! It was crazy though – I had exhaustion and lower back pain last weekend – not putting two and two together that those were early omicron symptoms… Just thought I was pushing myself too hard with my training runs!!” Amy shared on Instagram on day 6 of her illness. Robin tweeted, “Unfortunately I tested positive for Covid. Grateful my symptoms have been mild and that I’m doing well.”
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Connie Britton took to Instagram on Jan. 16, 2022, to share a lengthy message about her experience being sick with COVID-19 while trying to keep her son, Yoby, from getting infected. “I wanted to share a little bit of my experience with y’all, particularly if you’re a parent trying to manage keeping your little ones negative in the same house, or vice versa. Because whooo that was not easy. When I tested positive I called my doctor in a panic and he broke it down for me. Masks. If you’re both masked and avoid face to face contact, that can keep the virus from spreading,” the “Friday Night Lights” and “Nashville” star began. “Of course avoiding face to face contact with your 10 year old is no easy feat (I can’t imagine if I had a real little!). I basically stayed in my room … and told Yoby the kitchen was off limits. Then I could go in there masked and prepare meals for both us which we’d eat in separate rooms.” Connie said she believes her case was “so mild” because she’s vaccinated and boosted, “and my son’s vaccines protected him and made it so he could go to school after an initial isolation as long as he was masked and remained negative, which was so much better for him than knocking around a house trying to avoid his mom like the literal plague!” She concluded her post, “Please do whatever you can to keep your immune system strong, stay masked, and get the vaccine. This is our job right now. And particularly do it for those who have to be out working and then go home and keep their kids safe. Let’s help each other be healthy and well.”
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“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” star Simu Liu revealed on Instagram on Jan. 20, 2022, that he just had COVID-19. “I was wondering why I was so tired after a day of snowboarding and it turns out I had Omicron the whole time psych,” the Marvel action star captioned a photo of himself on the slopes, adding, “PS totes fine everyone thank you for asking!! Caught just about the mildest case ever.” A few days later on Jan. 22, he took to his Instagram Story to share with that he was “Negative and clear!!!!! Woooooooo.”
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On Jan. 17, 2022, “The Hills” alum Whitney Port revealed on her Instagram Story that she, husband Tom Rosenman and their 4-year-old son, Sonny, had COVID-19. “So last week we all tested positive for Covid. I wasn’t trying to hide anything, I just didn’t want to make it a bigger deal than it is/was and I didn’t want the pressure to ‘report the news,'” the former MTV star and current podcast host explained. “The nausea last weekend I guess was the first sign of it but we’ve all been fine otherwise. A little congested and my taste is not at its sharpest, but we are ok. Just quarantining, cooking and napping. I was starting to feel like it was just a matter of time before we got it.”
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“Agh it finally got me,” Bravo star and businesswoman Lisa Vanderpump shared on Instagram on Jan. 11, 2022, revealing she was sick with COVID-19.
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After battling COVID-19 for the first time in December 2020, conservative political commentator Glenn Beck revealed on Mark Levin’s radio show on Jan. 12, 2022, that he’s been infected a second time. “It’s a lighter case, but it’s now starting to get into my lungs today. [It’s] a little disturbing,” he said, as reported by Insider. “I’m not going downhill. I’m feeling better, it’s just getting into my lungs. You want to avoid that.” The former Fox News host, who confirmed he’s not vaccinated, said he was taking anti-parasitic drug ivermectin as well as hydroxychloroquine and fluvoxamine — which are widely considered unproven — and had not received a monoclonal antibody treatment as that “doesn’t seem to be working for the new strain,” he said. “I am not concerned about it, I’m really not,” Glenn added.
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On Jan. 11, 2002, “ER” and “The Good Wife” alum Julianna Margulies shared on Instagram that she was recovering from COVID-19 and used her reveal to praise the movie “Tick, Tick… Boom!” starring Andrew Garfield as she was watching it while quarantining. “I’m fine because I am vaccinated so it just feels like the flu. How lucky we are to have the science that made these vaccinations. Please get vaccinated if you are not. And thank you to the whole cast and crew of #ticktickboom,” she wrote.
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“Today” show anchors Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie tested positive forbreakthrough cases of COVID-19 in early January 2022. According to NBC, Hoda — who’s vaccinated and boosted — was feeling well and isolating at home. “Thx for well wishes! Feeling good.. cant wait to see you all when I am in the clear! Xo,” she tweeted. A week later on Jan. 10, 2022, Savannah Guthrie confirmed her breakthrough diagnosis. “I’m working from home,” she said while appearing virtually on the “Today” show. “You’re back in the studio. You have a negative test for COVID. I just tested positive for COVID, so here we go.”
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On Jan. 7, 2022, Tori Spelling took to Instagram to share that “our entire family has COVID. Yes, every single member got it. We all have varying degrees of symptoms. I was last to be symptomatic. We all were praying it was just a bad winter cold. But it wasn’t,” she explained in a lengthy Instagram post that “took 45 min of starting and stopping to write,” adding, “Nothing is worse than wanting to care for your [five] little ones but feeling so sick you can barely function yourself. I feel useless as a parent. Devastated. A mom is supposed to take care of their kiddos when sick. That’s how it works. But, we are all getting thru this together. I know we aren’t alone.” Husband Dean McDermott took to Instagram too, sharing, “I’ve got to be honest, this scared the s*** out of me. My breathing was so compromised I thought I was going to be put on a ventilator. Slowly turning the corner to recovery. Be safe out there.”
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The No. 1 ranked men’s singles tennis player in the world, Novak Djokovic, revealed on June 23, 2020, that he and his wife, Jelena, had tested positive for the coronavirus. As reported by CNN, the news came after he controversially played and partied on the Adria Tour, an exhibition event he organized in the Balkan region. The Guardian reported that other tennis players including Croatia’s Borna Coric, Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria and Viktor Troicki tested positive after playing in the tennis exhibition. Then in January 2022 — amid drama with Australian authorities who denied the unvaccinated athlete entry to the country to compete in the Australian Open — lawyers for Novak revealed the tennis star caught COVID again in December 2021 and believed it qualified him for an exemption. However, in the days that followed, he admitted that he disregarded health protocols — he did an in-person interview and photoshoot after learning he was positive and also attended events unmasked, claiming he didn’t yet know about his positive test result — and faced a panel of Australian judges, who ultimately decided to deport him.
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Just a few weeks after announcing her first pregnancy with husband Christian Huff, former “Duck Dynasty” star Sadie Robertson on Oct. 26, 2020, revealed that she’d been hospitalized with coronavirus complications. “I got Covid-19 and ended up getting very sick. I know everyone experiences covid differently, but wow these symptoms are wild. I’ve definitely struggled through this one!” Sadie — the daughter of Duck Commander CEO Willie Robertson and wife Korie — captioned a photo of herself in her hospital bed on Instagram. “Thankfully baby Huff is doing great and healthy, and I am now healing as well.” A few days later, the “Dancing With the Stars” alum spoke in depth about her illness on her “WHOA That’s Good” podcast and revealed that mom Korie and sister Bella also had the coronavirus. More than a year later on Jan. 7, 2022, Sadie revealed on Instagram that she’d just been sick with “flurona” — the flu and a new variant of COVID-19 at the same time.
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On Jan. 6, 2022, James Corden took to Instagram to reveal that “The Late Late Show with James Corden” would be going off the air for the next several days because he “just tested positive for COVID 19.” Wrote the late night host, “I’m fully vaccinated, boosted, and because of this, am fortunate enough to say I feel completely fine. … Stay safe everyone.”
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“The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon took to Instagram on Jan. 3, 2022, to reveal that he had COVID-19 over the holidays. “On the first day of our holiday break I tested positive for Covid. I was vaccinated and boostered which made me lucky enough to only have mild symptoms,” he shared in his post. “Thank you to the doctors and nurses who work so hard around the clock to get everyone vaxxed. Thank you to NBC for taking the testing protocols so seriously and doing a great job…”
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On Jan. 4, 2022, comedian Seth Meyers announced he had COVID-19. “The bad news is, I tested positive for COVID (thanks, 2022!) the good news is, I feel fine (thanks vaccines and booster!),” the “Late Night with Seth Meyers” host tweeted. “We are canceling the rest of the shows this week, so tune in next Monday to see what cool location we will try and pass off as a studio!!!”
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On Jan. 4, 2022, Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o had to drop out of the virtual press tour for her new action movie “The 355” co-starring Jessica Chastain, Penelope Cruz, Diane Kruger, Fan Bingbing and Sebastian Stan due to the coronavirus. “I too have tested positive for COVID-19. I’m fully vaccinated and taking care in isolation, so I trust I will be well,” she tweeted. “Please do all you can to keep yourself and others protected from serious illness. #StayMaskedAndVaxxed.”
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The hosts of “The View” appeared remotely from their homes on Jan. 3, 2022, after Whoopi Goldberg tested positive for COVID-19 over the holiday break, co-host Joy Behar confirmed, adding that Whoopi was expected to return the following week. “Since she’s vaxxed and boosted, her symptoms have been very, very, mild. But we’re being super cautious here at ‘The View,'” Joy explained. Whoopi wasn’t the only member of the show’s family who caught the coronavirus: Co-host Sunny Hostin said she and her mom had positive tests during the holidays as well and were forced to isolate during Christmas. Last year around the same time, her husband Manny’s parents died from complications of COVID-19. Then on Jan. 7, 2022, “The View” contributor Ana Navarro-Cárdenas confirmed she had a breakthrough case of COVID-19. “I did what the CDC recommended — the minute I felt a little bit of a tickle in my throat, I assumed I had it and I’ve been isolating,” she said via remote. A few days later, Ana took to Twitter to share her “appreciation and gratitude for all the scientists and medical researchers who worked on developing the vaccines and treatments we have today, that are making this more manageable and less lethal for most of us.”
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On Dec. 30, 2021, Debra Messing revealed on Instagram that she’d been infected with the coronavirus. “I’m COVID POSITIVE. Yup. Happy New Year! Actually, it is the perfect end to 2021. The juicy cherry on the proverbial cake. So for the next 10 days – while in quarantine- I will beautify….. Or maybe I’ll sleep… I actually have a lot of work to do, but for the inevitable breaks, what should I watch?” the “Will & Grace” star captioned a photo of herself wearing a sheet mask on her face and a shower cap on her head.
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Zac Brown got COVID … again. The country music star, who revealed his first diagnosis in September 2021, shared the news of his second infection on Dec. 30, 2021, to explain why the band was pulling out of their “New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash” performance on CBS. “Despite taking precautions, I’ve tested positive for COVID-19. While we were very excited to join the incredible line up of artists and millions of amazing fans tuning in to watch, our #1 priority is the safety and well-being of our fans, band, crew and venue staff. We’re looking forward to great things ahead and seeing you all on our tour next year. We wish everyone a safe, healthy and happy 2022!” Zac wrote on social media.
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LL Cool J dropped out of 2021’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2022” special broadcast after being diagnosed with COVID-19, he announced on Dec. 29, 2021. “I know it’s disappointing to the millions of fans but my test came back positive for COVID, which means I’ll no longer be able to perform as scheduled at ‘New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,'” the music star said in a statement. “We were ready and I was really looking forward to ringing in 2022 in my hometown in a special way, but for now I wish everyone a healthy and happy New Year. The best is yet to come!”
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Hugh Jackman announced on Dec. 28, 2021, that he tested positive for COVID-19 shortly after Sutton Foster, his co-star in Broadway’s “The Music Man,” revealed she’d contracted the illness. “I just wanted to make sure you heard this from me. I tested positive for covid,” Hugh wrote on Instagram. “Mild symptoms and looking forward to getting back on stage ASAP! Sending love for a happy and healthy new year.”
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“Flipping Out” alum Jeff Lewis revealed on his SiriusXM radio show, “Jeff Lewis Live,” on Dec. 27, 2021, that despite his best efforts to safely host a staff party, his holiday bash turned out to be a “super spreader” event. Jeff said he contracted a breakthrough case of COVID-19, as did “a third” of his guests, including his co-host Megan Weaver, his assistant Shane Douglas, actress Monika Casey, Jeff’s on-off beau Scott Anderson and “Shahs of Sunset” star Mercedes Javid. “Thursday is when everyone started testing positive,” Jeff, revealed, according to People. “We were all vaccinated and we had a nurse there testing all of us before we even went in the door. I thought we were being responsible,” he continued, explaining that he tested negative on Christmas Eve then attended dinner with family while wearing a mask. He started feeling sick at dinner, though, and left early. By the next day, he was “in pretty bad shape” with a fever of nearly 104 degrees.
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Queen guitarist Brian May told fans on Dec. 18, 2021, that he’d tested positive for the coronavirus. “Yep. The shocking day finally came for me,” Brian wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of his positive test result. “The dreaded double red line. And yes – definitely NO sympathy please – it has been a truly horrible few days, but I’m OK. And I will tell the tale.” Over the next few days, he did just that in a series of daily posts. He explained that the previous Saturday, he and wife Anita went to a friend’s birthday lunch after being “very hermit-like” for ages. “It seemed like a safe situation,” he explained, noting that everyone there was “triple-jabbed” and had a negative COVID test from that morning. “Of course, it was still a risk,” he added — one they later regretted. By Monday, both had symptoms, but they continued to test negative for nearly two days. Brian was still testing positive nine days out though had finally started to feel better after enduring two particularly “horrendous days” of what felt “like the worst flu you can imagine.” He urged fans to get vaccinated and boosted, explaining that he lost one of his best friends to COVID early in the pandemic. “I can’t emphasize to you enough, this is not the response that my body would have made on its own,” he said. “It’s making this response because I’ve had three Pfizer jabs. And I beg you and implore you to go and get jabbed if you’re not already, because you need the help.”
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Andy Cohen just got COVID-19 again. On Dec. 20, 2021, the Bravo exec and “Watch What Happens Live” host confirmed the news when a fan inquired on Twitter, “Andy, did you get the covid and was that why all the WWHLs were reruns?” the fan asked, to which Andy replied, “Yes! All better now.” TMZ reported that Andy, who’s vaccinated, tested positive two weeks earlier and had been quarantining. He was one of the first big-name celebs to publicly confirm a COVID diagnosis at the start of the pandemic — he told fans on March 20, 2020, “After a few days of self-quarantine, and not feeling great, I have tested positive for Coronavirus. As much as I felt like I could push through whatever I was feeling to do #WWHL from home, we’re putting a pin in that for now so I can focus on getting better. I want to thank all the medical professionals who are working tirelessly for all of us, and urge everybody to stay home and take care of themselves.”
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Music star Lil Nas X revealed on Dec. 17, 2021, that he’d contracted the coronavirus earlier in the month. “Now that I’m sure I won’t die from COVID I will now begin making mildly funny jokes about having it,” the two-time Grammy winner wrote in one since-deleted tweet. Nas wasn’t sure if he had the Omicron variant. “This has not been a fun journey,” he later added. “I only talk to people who have COVID now. U non-COVID b****** need to [be qiet]. Us COVIDers run this s***!”
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Country music singer Chris Lane has tested positive for the new COVID-19 variant Omicron, he announced on Instagram on Dec. 17, 2021. “Well… COVID finally got me. It finally got my hind end,” he said on his Instagram Story. The crooner is hoping his wife, Lauren Bushnell Lane, and their 6-month-old son, Dutton Walker, don’t contract the variant. Chris is vaccinated.
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Billie Eilish revealed on the Dec. 13, 2021, episode of “The Howard Stern Show” that she suffered a breakthrough case of COVID-19 in August 2021. “I didn’t die, and I wasn’t gonna die, but that does not take away from how miserable it was. It was terrible,” she said. “I still have side effects. I was sick for, like, two months almost.” According to the music star, “I think if I weren’t vaccinated, I would have, like, died, because it was bad.”
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Amber Stevens West revealed during a March of Dimes webinar on Dec. 16, 2021, that she and her oldest daughter, Ava, recently tested positive for COVID-19. The star also revealed she’d recently received her booster vaccine shot but believes she knows where they contracted the virus, noting, “because we were vaccinated, we felt more comfortable kind of going out into the world and doing things, so I don’t know for sure if this is where we got it, but we did go to Disneyland.” She added that they experienced mild symptoms and that her husband and youngest daughter, 5-month-old Winona, tested negative.
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On Dec. 15, 2021, music star Charlie Puth took to Twitter to tell fans he was sick. “I tested positive for Covid this morning. I’m not feeling amazing but I think the worst is behind me. I write you this update, feeling like complete a**, in hopes that you will be safe and careful this holiday season,” he wrote. Charlie got his second shot of the coronavirus vaccine seven months earlier, he previously tweeted.
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On Dec. 14, 2021, it was revealed that three cast members from “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” — Erika Jayne, Garcelle Beauvais and Lisa Rinna — tested positive for the coronavirus. All of the women were vaccinated, according to People magazine. Production on the Bravo series has continued with its other stars — Dorit Kemsley, Sutton Stracke, Kyle Richards and Crystal Minkoff — despite the positive tests.
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Keira Knightley and her family recovered from COVID-19 in November 2021. The actress — who’s vaccinated — revealed the news in The Telegraph’s Stella magazine, which hit the internet on Nov. 27. “I’ve got COVID and I’m feeling pretty rubbish,” she said, adding that daughters Edie, 6, and Delilah, 2, were getting better faster than she was, but that her husband, musician James Righton, was asymptomatic. “[He is] being very smug about it — he is convinced it’s because he’s one of those cold-water swimmers and I’m not,” Keira said.
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Hours after he was live in the ballroom for the Nov. 15, 2021, semi-finals episode of “Dancing With the Stars,” judge Derek Hough tested positive for COVID-19, he revealed early on Nov. 16. “Even though I’ve been fully vaccinated I’ve just been diagnosed with a breakthrough case of COVID and just found out,” the Emmy-winning dancer and choreographer told fans in an Instagram video, indicating that he was quarantining. “I feel strong, but I’m currently taking advice from medical professionals, doing everything I can to get better as fast as I can.” Sister Julianne Hough had to fill in for him on judging panel on the show’s finale a week later.
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On Oct. 24, 2021 — just five days before the release of his new album, “=,” British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran announced that he tested positive for COVID-19, throwing promotional plans and performances into chaos. “I’ve sadly tested positive for Covid, so I’m now self-isolating and following government guidelines,” he shared on Instagram. “It means that I’m now unable to plough ahead with any in person commitments for now, so I’ll be doing as many of my planned interviews/performances I can from my house. Apologies to anyone I’ve let down. Be safe everyone x.” After recovering, Ed shared more about his bout with the coronavirus and revealed that his 15-month-old daughter, Lyra, also tested positive. “My wife was away, so I was there with my daughter — it was me and my daughter for a week and she had it too. It was kind of heavy,” Ed told Howard Stern on the radio host’s SiriusXM show in early November. Ed explained that although he was vaccinated, “I was really, really, really run down” at the time he got infected and that he experienced about “three days of really, really bad symptoms” before he — and his little one — began to feel better.
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On Nov. 5, 2021, after he was placed on his team’s reserve/COVID-19 list, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers confirmed reports that he tested positive for COVID — and that he’s unvaccinated. He sparked widespread backlash and controversy with his comments in an interview that aired on “The Pat McAfee Show,” claiming he didn’t lie when he previously told reporters he’d “been immunized” ahead of the NFL season because he’d found “there was an immunization protocol that I could go through,” which NBC Sports reported was an alternative homeopathic treatment that didn’t involve the three vaccines available in America — but that the NFL wouldn’t accept it. He further said he’s allergic to an ingredient in the two mRNA vaccines and “had heard of multiple people who had had adverse events around getting the J&J” vaccine, so he declined that shot too. Aaron, who said he experienced mild symptoms for about 48 hours, shared that he consulted with controversial podcast host Joe Rogan on how to treat his infection and had been taking “monoclonal antibodies, ivermectin, zinc, vitamin C and DHCQ” and feeling “pretty incredible.”
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Jason Momoa — who’s been in England shooting the sequel “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” — took to his Instagram Story on Nov. 1, 2021, to explain that he was isolating after testing positive for COVID-19. “I got hit with COVID right after the premiere [of my film ‘Dune’ in London on Oct. 18, 2021]. There was a lot of people I met in England, so got a lot of aloha from people. And who knows?” he previously said on Oct. 29, 2021, as reported by People magazine. Jason added he was “doing fine” and thanked fans “for all the love and support.”
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Kristy Swanson, who starred in the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” movie, was hospitalized in New Jersey with COVID-19 on Oct. 31, 2021. “Prayers for me please. Yesterday I took an ambulance ride to the hospital. I’m still here with pneumonia, I’m on oxygen etc, all covid related of course. I’m in good spirits and in great hands,” she tweeted on Nov. 1, 2021, later adding that she was “at the tail end of my Covid diagnosis when it jumped into my lungs. So they are treating me with Baricitinib & blood thinners so I don’t clot. I’m ok.” The “Obamagate” actress continued to make headlines as she responded to commenters who noted her history of social media posts critical of vaccines, at one point tweeting, “I have never said I am anti-vax.”
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Jon Bon Jovi had to cancel an Oct. 30, 2021, special intimate performance and Q&A in Miami Beach after testing positive for COVID-19 right before showtime. His publicist told CNN that the rocker was “fully vaccinated and feeling fine,” adding that Jon was isolating.
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Rocker Bryan Adams had to pull out of a performance honoring Tina Turner at the Oct. 30, 2021, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony — Keith Urban filled in — after a last-minute positive COVID-19 test result. His rep told Variety the music star is fully vaccinated and asymptomatic.
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Khloe Kardashian’s had it twice! In a teaser for the Oct. 29, 2020, episode of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” Khloe revealed that she tested positive for COVID-19 in March 2020. “Just found out that I do have corona,” she said in self-taped footage. “I have been in my room. It’s gonna be fine, but it was really bad for a couple days.” Khloe detailed her symptoms, which included vomiting, shaking, hot and cold flashes, a sore throat, coughing that burned her chest and intense headaches. “I suffer from migraines, but this was the craziest headache,” she said, adding, “Let me tell you, that s*** is real. But we’re all gonna get through this.” On the Oct. 29 episode, she shared even more details about her illness. “This virus has hit me like a ton of bricks and it’s been really scary,” she said. Exactly a year later on Oct. 29, 2021, Khloe tweeted that she’d just tested positive again — and this time, her toddler daughter, True Thompson, was infected too. “Hi guys I wanted to let you know True and I tested positive for Covid. I’ve had to cancel several commitments and I’m sorry I won’t be able to make those happen. Luckily I have been vaccinated so all will be ok. We will be over here in quarantine and following current guidelines,” she wrote.
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Back in February 2020, Gwen Stefani announced that she was canceling several shows in her “Just a Girl” Las Vegas residency due to what, at the time, was characterized as an unknown illness. Now she’s revealed exactly what it was: She had COVID-19 very early in the pandemic. “I was the first one to have COVID, in case you wondered,” she told the audience when she returned to her Sin City residency on Oct. 22, 2021, Dailymail.com reported. “I was in Vegas. Do you remember when I canceled those four shows?”
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“Dancing With the Stars” pro Cheryl Burke revealed in a Sept. 26, 2021, Instagram video that she’d just been diagnosed with COVID-19 and had to pull out of the competition series’ live show the next day. She said she’d been fully vaccinated with the Moderna shot. “The PCR test came back, and it came back positive,” she said in her emotional post. “I feel so bad for [my partner, Peloton instructor] Cody [Rigsby]. I feel like I’m letting him down. I just feel like s***, to be quite honest.” Cheryl added, “I just hope I didn’t spread it. For those of you who don’t think Covid is a real thing, it’s f****** real, dude.” A few days later on Sept. 30, Cody — who’s also vaccinated — took to Instagram to tell fans he’d just tested positive too, for the second time in 2021. (He previously battled the coronavirus in February.) He said his symptoms were “mild” and included congestion, a slight headache and a cough. “In comparison to when I had COVID earlier this year, it is night and day, so that must be the vaccine and the antibodies working, so we’re super grateful for that,” he added. “That being said, I’m going to go eat all the yummy food I can right now, as I still have my taste buds.”
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Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh tested positive for COVID-19 on Sept. 30, 2021, the court announced the next morning, explaining that the judge learned the news after undergoing a routine COVID test ahead of fellow Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s Oct. 1 investiture ceremony. He’s been vaccinated since January 2021. According to reports, he has no symptoms and his immediate family tested negative.
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Phoenix Suns player Devin Booker — known in celebrity circles as supermodel Kendall Jenner’s boyfriend — tested positive for COVID-19 and lost his senses of taste and smell, he revealed on Twitch on Sept. 26, 2021. “Honestly, y’all, I’m feeling straight. The only thing I’m dealing with is no taste, no smell, which is the worst part of it,” the NBA star said, adding, “I’m about a week in. I’mma be back in no time, no time. … Having no smell, no taste, it makes your day dry. It makes your day gray. It makes it gray, for real.” He declined to share his vaccination status. “I’m not gonna tell you guys if I have the vaccine or not, but you could still get COVID with the vaccine, for anybody that’s saying that,” he added. “Educate yourself.”
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Comedian Chris Rock, who got the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine earlier in 2021, took to Twitter on Sept. 19, 2021, to reveal he has a breakthrough infection. “Hey guys I just found out I have COVID,” he tweeted. “Trust me you don’t want this. Get vaccinated.”
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Talk show host Wendy Williams, who’s been vaccinated, tested positive for COVID-19 in the midst of undergoing evaluations for other health issues, her eponymous talk show’s Instagram account announced on Sept. 15, 2021, explaining that it means the show’s fall season debut has been pushed to early October. “While continuing her health evaluations, Wendy has tested positive for a breakthrough case of COVID-19,” the statement said in part.
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On Sept. 13, 2021, Jeff Bridges revealed that his lymphoma is now in remission — and that he fought COVID-19 while being treated for the cancer. “My cancer is in remission — the 9″ x12″ mass has shrunk down to the size of a marble … my covid is in the rear view mirror,” he wrote in a newsletter update on his website. He shared that he got COVID-19 while undergoing chemotherapy treatments but is now “double vaccinated & feeling much better.” The actor further revealed that his wife, Susan Geston, also had COVID and was hospitalized for five days, while he was hospitalized for five weeks. “The reason [I was] there so long is because my immune system [was] shot from the chemo,” he explained, adding, “My dance with COVID makes my cancer look like a piece of cake.”
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Rapper Nicki Minaj made headlines on Sept. 13, 2021, after she posted a slew of controversial tweets that got her skewered for sharing coronavirus vaccine misinformation by fans, doctors and the media. But buried in her posts was a tweet in which the music star revealed that she’d recently been diagnosed with COVID-19. “I was prepping for [the September MTV] vmas then i shot a video & guess who got COVID?” wrote Nicki, who gave birth to her first child last year. “Do u know what it is not to be able to kiss or hold your tiny baby for over a week? A baby who is only used to his mama? ‘get vaccinated’ Drake had just told me he got covid w|THE VACCINE tho so chile.”
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On Aug. 25, 2021, actress Kirstie Alley revealed that she’d recently recovered from COVID-19. “I just got over Covid. No I’m not vaccinated because I have antibodies as I just got over Covid 3 weeks ago,” she tweeted.
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NFL star Tom Brady had COVID-19 earlier in 2021 not long after the Super Bowl championship boat parade in February, the Tampa Bay Times reported on Sept. 4, adding that going into the new 2021-2022 football season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback — like every other member of his team and its coaching staff — is fully vaccinated, according to Bucs coach Bruce Arians. “You guys beat COVID last year. It’s still around. You’ve had it?” reporter Rick Stroud asked. “Yeah,” Tom replied, adding, “And I think it’s going to be challenging this year. I actually think it’s going to play more of a factor this year than last year, just because of the way what we’re doing now and what the stadium is going to look like and what the travel is going to look like and the people in the building and the fans.” Tom continued, “It’s not like last year, although we’re getting tested like last year. It’s going to be, I definitely think guys are going to be out at different points and we’ve just got to deal with it.”
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On Sept. 3, 2021, boxer Oscar de la Hoya took to Instagram to share with fans that he’s in the hospital with COVID-19. “I mean, what are the chances of me getting COVID? I’ve been taking care of myself … this really, really kicked my a**,” he said in a video message that he captioned, “Wanted you to hear directly from me that despite being fully vaccinated, I have contracted Covid and am not going to be able to fight next weekend. Preparing for this comeback has been everything to me over the last months, and I want to thank everyone for their tremendous support. I am currently in the hospital getting treatment and am confident I will be back in the ring before the year is up. God bless everyone and stay safe.” He was released after three days of treatment.
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On Sept. 1, 2021, Joe Rogan announced on Instagram that he’d tested positive for COVID-19 after experiencing some symptoms — a headache, fever and “sweats” — starting on Aug. 28 when he “got back from the road” after some Florida tour stops for his live show. “I just felt just rundown,” the controversial comedian and podcast host said, adding that he separated from his family and “slept in a different part of the house” out of an abundance of caution. After he tested positive, he “immediately threw the kitchen sink at it,” he said, noting that he took “all kinds of meds” including Ivermectin, which is used to treat parasitic worms in farm animals. The FDA has not approved the drug for use in treating or preventing COVID-19 in humans and has warned that Ivermectin is dangerous and can cause serious harm. “Never use medications intended for animals on yourself. Ivermectin preparations for animals are very different from those approved for humans,” the FDA recently warned. Joe has spoken out against vaccines and has drawn criticism for spreading false information about them.
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On Aug. 26, 2021, KISS announced it was postponing a Pennsylvania concert date because guitarist and co-lead vocalist Paul Stanley had tested positive for COVID-19. The band added in its statement that “Everyone on the entire tour, both band and crew, are fully vaccinated,” indicating Paul had a breakthrough infection. “I had been sick with flu-like symptoms and was tested repeatedly and was negative. As of late this afternoon I tested positive. The crew, staff and band have all tested negative once again,” Paul tweeted. But days later on Aug. 31, bandmate Gene Simmons, who was also vaccinated, also tested positive, prompting more tour date cancellations. According to a statement from the band, he was experiencing “mild” symptoms.
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On Aug. 21, 2021, famed civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson, 79 — who in 2017 revealed he’d been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease — and his wife, Jacqueline, 77, were hospitalized at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago after both tested positive for COVID-19, his nonprofit, the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, announced. Jesse was publicly vaccinated back in January 2021 in an effort to encourage others to get vaxxed as well; the family later revealed that Jacqueline was not vaccinated due to an unnamed underlying condition. Two days later on Aug. 23, son Jonathan Jackson gave an update on their conditions: “Both are resting comfortably and are responding positively to their treatments,” he said in a statement, as reported by The Guardian. “My family appreciates all of the expressions of concern and prayers that have been offered on their behalf, and we will continue to offer our prayers for your family as well.” On Aug. 26, Jonathan offered an update, sharing in another statement that “Both of our parents are continuing to receive excellent ongoing medical care.” He also said his family “urge[d] all who have not yet been vaccinated for the COVID-19 virus to do so as soon as possible.”
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Hilary Duff revealed on Aug. 20, 2021, that she was diagnosed with a breakthrough case of COVID-19 as the highly contagious delta variant continues to spread across the country. “That delta … she’s a little b****,” Hilary, 33, captioned an Instagram Story post just a few days after starting production on “How I Met Your Father.” “Symptoms: bad headache. no taste or smell. sinus pressure. brain fog,” she continued, adding, “Happy to be vaxxed.” A small percentage of breakthrough infections of fully vaccinated people are expected, the CDC has said, but they very rarely cause severe illness or death. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation study published July 30, “Almost all (more than 9 in 10) COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths have occurred among people who are unvaccinated or not yet fully vaccinated, in … states reporting breakthrough data.”
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Melissa Joan Hart took to Instagram on Aug. 18, 2021, to reveal that she and one of her three sons has COVID-19. “I am vaccinated and I got COVID, and it’s bad,” the “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” alum said in a two-minute video. “It’s weighing on my chest. It’s hard to breathe.” She said that though she and her family “took precautions” and “cut our exposure by a lot,” they also “got a little lazy” as restrictions were lifted. “I [also] think as a country we got a little lazy and I’m really mad that my kids didn’t have to wear a mask at school. I’m pretty sure where this came from,” she said, adding that her youngest son was used to masking from last year so diligently continued this year. “I just really hope my husband and the other ones don’t get it, because if someone has to be taken to the hospital, I can’t go with them,” she continued, adding, “I’m just scared and sad, and disappointed in myself and some of our leaders. I just wish I’d done better, so I’m asking you guys to do better. Protect your families. Protect your kids.”
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On Aug. 16, 2021, Drake revealed that he battled the coronavirus. After a fan posted on Instagram about how the heart carved into his hairline was looking a little “stressed,” the rapper responded in the comments. “I had Covid that s*** grew in weird I had to start again it’s coming back don’t diss,” Drake wrote. He didn’t share when he was diagnosed. Temporary hair loss following a COVID-19 infection is a common side effect, according to an Indiana University study cited by Yahoo.
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Korn frontman Jonathan Davis tested positive for COVID-19, the band confirmed on social media on Aug. 16, 2021, leading the nu-metal band to reschedule multiple concert dates. “As always, our primary goal is to ensure the safety of everyone involved, so this is something that has to be done,” their statement read. The band added that Jonathan was “resting and recovering” and in good spirits.
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In a cover story for Variety’s Power of Young Hollywood issue that hit the internet on Aug. 12, 2021, “Gossip Girl” star and Disney Channel alum Thomas Doherty revealed that he contracted COVID-19 days before the interview. His infection was “mild, fortunately,” he said, sharing that he briefly lost his senses of smell and taste but that “I actually feel OK now.” The Scottish actor, an alum of Disney’s “Descendants” franchise, said he’d been putting off getting vaccinated but had finally “booked [a shot]” only to learn shortly before his appointment that “I got COVID.”
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Reba McEntire announced on a TikTok livestream on Aug. 4, 2021, that she and her boyfriend, actor Rex Linn, had contracted the coronavirus after being vaccinated. “I just want to say one thing: this has been a hard year and it’s getting rougher again,” the “Fancy” singer wrote. “You guys, please stay safe. Wear your mask. Do what you have to do. Stay home.” She added, “It’s not fun to get this. I did get it. Rex and I got it and it’s not fun. You don’t feel good. We were both vaccinated and we still got it, so stay safe, stay home, and be protected the best you can.” However, a few weeks later on Aug. 23 while speaking with Nancy O’Dell on “Talk Shop Live,” Reba said she learned she was likely suffering from a different respiratory virus known as RSV, which has similar symptoms to COVID though is not as potentially deadly. “I did say that I had COVID but when I got tested my antibodies — it came up that I had not had COVID,” she said, explaining that she seemingly had a false positive COVID test, People magazine reported. “I had my antibodies from my vaccine. So I had all the symptoms, so I was kinda probably — I did get tested, you know the test that I had and it said that I had it but then the nurse that came and tested me for my antibodies said that I probably had the RSV virus.”
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“Teen Mom 2” star Kailyn Lowry revealed on the Aug. 3 episode of her podcast, “Baby Mamas No Drama,” that she and her four boys all have COVID-19. It’s the second time Kailyn and son Lincoln have had it. The boys are asymptomatic, she added, explaining that she thinks they likely contracted it vacationing in the Dominican Republic, People magazine reported. On top of her own family having it, Kailyn inadvertently passed it on to podcast co-host Vee Rivera, who’s married to Kailyn’s ex Jo Rivera. Lincoln’s father, Javi Marroquin, also tested positive, Kailyn revealed. “I knew [I had it] because I felt like s*** all week,” Kailyn said. “Once I lost my taste and my smell, I knew what it was. I knew.” She apologized for exposing Vee, likely when they recorded their podcast together a week earlier, saying, “I would not have been around people if I knew I had COVID, but I tested negative twice [while on vacation and upon returning].” Vee said she believes she’s been OK because “I am 100% vaccinated, so that could have helped me.” It’s unclear if Kailyn is vaccinated, as early in the pandemic she tweeted that she would “absolutely not” get a coronavirus vaccine.
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“The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” alum Teddi Mellencamp revealed on the Aug. 2 episode of her “Teddi Tea Pod” podcast that she and husband Edwin Arroyave both recently tested positive for COVID-19 but had very difference experiences. “I was vaccinated and my husband was not, which he has since realized what a big mistake that was,” she said, as reported by People magazine. “I got through it quicker,” she explained, noting she was sick for about six days, during which she had symptoms including vertigo, while Edwin was “super weak” and ill for about 15 days.
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Controversial British journalist Piers Morgan tested positive for COVID-19 in mid-July and believes he was infected with the Delta variant while attending the Euros soccer final in London on July 11. He previously received both doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. In a lengthy July 24 essay for MailOnline about his experience, in which he details how he thinks he caught it plus his symptoms, recovery, fears and takeaways, Piers wrote that “the vaccine may well have saved my life.”
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“Entourage” alum Kevin Connolly revealed on the July 23 episode of former co-star Kevin Dillon and “Entourage” creator Doug Ellin’s “Victory The Podcast” that he and daughter Kennedy, who was born in June, both contracted COVID-19, and that his newborn had to be hospitalized as she battled the coronavirus — she had congestion and a fever — though she was finally “on the road to recovery.” Kevin — who was fully vaccinated when he got sick — said he tested positive first and had “brutal” but “manageable” symptoms. “There is zero doubt in my mind this vaccine saved me a great deal,” he said. “Without that vaccine, I would want no part in that Delta variant.” However, Kennedy’s mother, actress Zulay Henao, did not get sick, Kevin said, adding that she was also vaccinated.
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On July 18, 2021, tennis star Coco Gauff announced that she’d withdrawn from her first Olympics after testing positive for COVID-19. “It has always been a dream of mine to represent the USA at the Olympics, and I hope there will be many more chances for me to make this come true in the future,” the athlete wrote on Twitter. “I want to wish TEAM USA best of luck and a safe games for every Olympian and the entire Olympic family.”
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On July 16, 2021, ESPN NBA analyst Jay Williams took to social media with disheartening news. “I am covid positive & will not be calling the @nba finals. I am ok & was fully vaccinated,” the former NBA player tweeted alongside a video in which he explained that because his toddler daughter is immunosuppressed, he and his family had been “overly diligent, hyper sensitive” to COVID-19, “and yet this has still occurred.” He said the circumstances were a good reminder “that we need to continue to be as safe and as careful as possible.” He added that he’s thankful he was vaccinated “because the symptoms weren’t as bad as they could have been.”
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Former E! News and “Daily Pop” star Catt Sadler took to Instagram on July 13, 2021, to reveal that she was suffering a breakthrough COVID-19 infection. “I’m fully vaccinated and I have Covid. I’m telling you this so that you understand that the pandemic is very much NOT over. [The] Delta [variant] is relentless and highly contagious and grabbed ahold of me even after getting vaccinated. I was caring for someone who contracted Covid (although at the time we thought it was just the flu) – so I did come into close contact with the virus, but I wore a mask, and again I’m fully vaccinated,” the podcast host wrote alongside this photo she took in bed (she later revealed she’d been caring for her unvaccinated son, 20, who got sick over the July 4 weekend). “I assumed I would be fine. Well I’m not. I’m one of many breakthrough cases that we are seeing more of each and every day. They said ‘you shouldn’t have severe symptoms at least’ – well, mine are not mild. Two days of a fever now. Head throbbing. Extreme congestion. Even some weird [pus] coming out of my eye. Serious fatigue; no energy to even leave the bed.” Catt, who later shared that she’d also lost her sense of taste and smell, urged her followers to be careful and to think of others. “If you are not vaccinated and not wearing a mask, I assure you you don’t want to feel like this and not only are you bound to get sick eventually you’ll be spreading it to others (as in my case – I got this from someone who wasn’t vaccinated :/ ),” she wrote. “If you are vaccinated, don’t let your guard down. If you’re in crowds or indoors in public I highly recommend taking the extra precaution of wearing a mask. I’m no MD but I’m here to remind you that the vaccine isn’t [foolproof]. **Vaccines lessen the likelihood of hospitalization and death but you can still catch this thing. So continue to protect yourselves.” Catt also later said on her blog that “If I had to do it again, I would. I’d take care of Austin. Any mother would. But I would have worn a hazmat suit while doing so.” She added, “I would also get vaccinated again because although I’m sick, my oxygen levels are fine. I’m at home in bed. I’m not in the hospital. I’m not dying.”
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Rapper Wiz Khalifa took to Twitter on July 14, 2021, to tell fans he’d been diagnosed with COVID-19. “Okay loved ones….sooo…..Ya boy got covid,” he wrote, confirming in another tweet that he was quarantining. “No symptoms. Just stay away from me for a lil while.”
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On the May 27, 2021, episode of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” reality TV star and beauty and shapewear mogul Kim Kardashian revealed that she and two of her kids — son Saint West and daughter North West — all tested positive for COVID-19 in November 2020. (Estranged husband Kanye West tested positive for the coronavirus, as did sister Khloe Kardashian, much earlier in 2020.) A Buzzfeed report dug into the timeline, as it appeared Kim tested positive roughly 10 days after returning from a controversial private island vacation to celebrate her 40th birthday, but she insisted in a tweet, “Nobody caught Covid from the trip. Saint was the first to have it in our family and he caught it from school from another student who tested positive first. I then developed symptoms and got it a few days after he coughed on me while caring for him.”
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In a Variety cover story that hit the internet on May 19, 2021, Salma Hayek for the first time revealed that she had a nearly fatal case of COVID-19 early in the pandemic and has spent most of the last year recovering. “My doctor begged me to go to the hospital because it was so bad,” she shared. “I said, ‘No, thank you. I’d rather die at home.'” She was at one point put on oxygen and spent about seven weeks isolating in a room in her home. Even after all this time, she still hasn’t fully regained her energy.
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Bill Maher tested positive for COVID-19, he announced on May 13 — explaining that the May 14 taping of his HBO show, “Real Time With Bill Maher,” would be postponed. “Bill tested positive during weekly staff PCR testing for COVID. He is fully vaccinated and as a result is asymptomatic and feels fine,” HBO said in a statement. “‘Real Time’ production has taken every precaution following COVID CDC guidelines. No other staff or crew members have tested positive at this time.” Bill also tweeted, “Thanks to all wishing me get well — hard to do since I feel perfectly fine, but I appreciate it! Most upset about ending my streak going back to 1993 of never missing a Politically Incorrect or Real Time episode. Oh well, even Cal Ripken had to sit one out at some point.”
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After previously saying the coronavirus global health crisis is “not a real pandemic” and sharing debunked claims about the illness, rocker Ted Nugent on April 19 revealed that he caught COVID-19. “Everybody told me I should not announce this,” he said near the top of a lengthy Facebook Live video. “I have had flu symptoms for the last 10 days. I thought I was dying. I was tested positive today. … Boy, I got a stuffed-up head, body aches, my god, what a pain in the a**, I literally could hardly crawl out of bed the last few days.”
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On April 15, Little Big Town announced that one of the country music foursome’s members, Phillip Sweet, had been diagnosed with the coronavirus and would be unable to join their group of the year-nominated act when they performed at the 2021 Academy of Country Music Awards on April 18. “Well, Philly’s not feeling good. We might as well break the news, he’s got the COVID,” Jimi Westbrook said in an Audacy radio interview. “He seems to be holding off the really bad stuff, just a little not feeling great.” Added Karen Fairchild, “Over the hump today, he’s hoping. … He is, unfortunately, so sad and missing out on this whole ACM week. But he’ll be back soon.”
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On April 12, country music singer and “American Idol” judge Luke Bryan revealed he had the coronavirus, which meant he was missing the first live “Idol” episode of the season that night. He was temporarily replaced by original “Idol” judge Paula Abdul while he quarantined and recovered at home. “I’m sad to say I won’t be a part of tonight’s first live @AmericanIdol show,” Luke tweeted. “I tested positive for COVID but I’m doing well and look forward to being back at it soon.”
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On March 29, Jessica Simpson revealed in an Instagram post promoting “Take the Lead,” her new Amazon Original Stories essay on self-acceptance, parenthood and overcoming fear, that she suffered from COVID-19 earlier in the pandemic, though she didn’t share exactly when. “We have all been handed challenges and fears in our lives that, at times, felt like too much to overcome. This past year has been especially intense for me and so many of you. I started writing this essay on the same day I received a positive test result for COVID-19,” she explained in her post.
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On March 11, the Royal Court of Sweden announced that Crown Princess Victoria and her husband, Prince Daniel, had tested positive for COVID-19 and were quarantining at home with their children, Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar. The royal couple, at the time, was “showing slight symptoms, but feeling well according to circumstances,” the palace added in a statement.
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On March 20, country music singer Lauren Alaina canceled a concert appearance after contracting the coronavirus. “I am so sad to say I will not be at the acoustic show in Lexington, Kentucky tonight,” she wrote on social media. “I tested positive for COVID yesterday. I am quarantining and trying to get better! Please know I can’t wait to be back — when it is safe for all of us.” She also posted a few short videos of herself in quarantine. “Some people have it way worse than me,” a congested Lauren told fans on her Instagram Stories, explaining that her symptoms included “a little bit of shortness of breath, [a] really bad headache, no taste or smell, pretty bad congestion, I feel pretty tired … but overall I feel like it’s gonna be OK.”
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On March 8, “Master of Sex” star Michael Sheen revealed on Twitter that he’s been sick with the coronavirus. “I’ve spent the last few weeks laid low by COVID. It’s been very difficult & quite scary,” he began. “On #InternationalWomensDay I want to thank all the incredible women-Anna, Mum, Lily, Joanne, my friends & all the women I am lucky enough to have support me who’ve helped me through this.” The star’s girlfriend, Swedish actress Anna Lundberg, on the same day revealed on Instagram that she and their toddler daughter, Lyra, also have COVID-19. “Yes, we’ve all been dealing with THE virus the last few weeks. Michael and Lyra caught it first and then, inevitably, so did I. It’s been very challenging for all of us but luckily we’re all much better now than we were,” she wrote. “Thankfully I was lucky to only have relatively mild symptoms, which meant that I could keep focusing on Lyra and Michael. I’m extremely grateful for our recovery and the support we’ve had from friends and family. X.”
RELATED: Stars we lost in 2021
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When “The Real World Homecoming: New York” premiered on Paramount+ on March 4, fans — and the cast members from the original MTV “Real World” series that debuted in 1992 — learned that former “The Grind” host Eric Nies could not physically reunite with the group in their original New York City apartment because he’d tested positive for COVID-19. As reported by Us Weekly, Eric — who was isolating in a downtown NYC hotel room — popped up on a screen in the living room and asked his co-stars, “Guess what I have?” before they all descended into tears because they couldn’t be in the same room. “I’m OK. I can feel something in my body, like, moving in my body,” Eric told them. “I don’t have a temperature. My vitals are stable.” According to Us, the group filmed the reunion over six days in early January 2021.
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Bravo reality stars Kim Zolciak-Biermann and Kroy Biermann have COVID-19, she shared with followers on her Instagram Stories on March 2. “Hubby and I tested + for Covid A few days ago! Been a hell of a ride!” the “Don’t Be Tardy” and “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” star wrote atop a photo of herself and Kroy getting IV infusions. “Very thankful for our Dr’s.” Kim’s daughter Brielle was infected with the coronavirus around the turn of the year.
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On Feb. 24, Garth Brooks revealed that he and his wife, fellow country music star Trisha Yearwood, were quarantining in Nashville after learning Trisha had contracted COVID-19 following an exposure to someone on their team who’d tested positive. “The Queen and I have now tested twice,” Garth said in a statement, adding that he’d so far tested negative. “Officially, she’s diagnosed as ‘on her way out of the tunnel’ now, though, which I’m extremely thankful for. Anyone who knows me knows my world begins and ends with Miss Yearwood, so she and I will ride through this together.” He called his wife “a fighter” and said “she’s been doing everything right … She’s tough. She’s stronger than me.” Garth further shared his concerns about how the virus could affect her health after she recovers from the acute phase of the illness. “Living with her, I sometimes take it for granted she’s one of the greatest voices in all of music, so the possible long-term effects on her concern me as her husband and as a fan,” he explained. “We’re very lucky she is currently under the greatest care in the best city for treating and healing singers.” On March 8, Trisha took to Facebook to reveal she’d finally tested negative for the coronavirus.
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On Feb. 14, “Jersey Shore” star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi revealed she was isolating at home after contracting the coronavirus. “Happy Valentine’s Day! This ones a bit different…. I have Covid. I’ve been isolated in my room since I found out. My family & I have been super cautious & careful, so this is super scary,” she captined a lengthy Instagram post. “My symptoms started out as just a bad sinus cold. Headache, Stuffy nose & mild cough. Then I felt super tired and ended up napping all day which made me go get tested. Today i just feel groggy. I ended up losing my taste and smell last night. It’s fricken weird. I had a greasy cheese pizza & couldn’t taste a damn thing. WHAT A SIN.” Snooki said the rest of her family, including her husband and three kids, tested negative, “so i am here hiding out in my bedroom until this is over. … Appreciate all of your concerns, but I am ok! Please stay safe everyone!”
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On Feb. 17, Gwyneth Paltrow made headlines as media outlets discovered she’d opened up in a post on her GOOP website about being infected with the coronavirus early in the pandemic back in 2020 and suffering lingering effects. She wrote that she “had COVID-19 early on, and it left me with some long-tail fatigue and brain fog.” She turned to a functional medicine practitioner after some January 2021 tests “showed really high levels of inflammation in my body.” She explained that she’s following a “keto and plant-based but flexible” diet and has cut out sugar and alcohol as she works on her continued recovery.
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Tennis star Andy Murray tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the Australian Open, forcing him to drop out and isolate at home in the UK, the tournament’s Twitter account announced on Jan. 14.
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On Jan. 29, British singer Engelbert Humperdinck took to social media to reveal that “After nearly a year of an abundance of caution and care, Covid has caught up with us and found a way into our home. I am positive for the virus, as is my wife, son Jason and two caregivers,” he wrote on Instagram. Days later on Feb. 3, he posted a video asking fans to pray for his spouse of more than 55 years, Patricia Healy, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease more than a decade earlier. On Feb. 5, he announced that she’d died. “Our family is heartbroken over the loss of my darling wife. Last night , she slipped softly away, as if by Gods clockwork,” the singer wrote, in part, on Facebook. “The last rites were given just before our usual prayers at the 8pm hour, by our nephew, Father Paul.”
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On Feb. 3, Variety broke the news that Nick Cannon had been diagnosed with COVID-19 and would not be able to carry out his hosting duties when season 5 of “The Masked Singer” resumed production the following day (Niecy Nash is filling in until Nick is cleared to return). The actor-host’s rep told Variety he was in quarantine and resting.
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On Feb. 3, Page Six reported that fashion designer Donna Karan had revealed during a charity fundraiser on Zoom that she was battling the coronavirus. “I was in the hospital the other day. I have COVID,” she said on the call. Donna also shared on Instagram that she was in the ER at New York’s Mount Sinai hospital on Jan. 31. She said in a video posted late on Feb. 3 that she was feeling better though noted, “I could never give enough thanks to the doctors, nurses and healthcare workers @mountsinainy and everywhere for taking CARE of everyone that needs to be in the hospital or is sick at home.”
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On Jan. 31, Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Shawn Johnson East — who’s pregnant with her second child — revealed on her Instagram stories that she has COVID-19. “Not going to lie… I’m nervous knowing I’m positive,” the “Dancing With the Stars” season 8 winner wrote, adding that her “body is exhausted.” She went on to share her concerns. “1: I don’t want to get my family sick. 2: I have asthma and have had it my entire life so this scares me a little extra. 3: had a very close family member fight for his life last month while battling Covid so it’s a serious topic of concern/hits home in our household,” she explained, adding that her symptoms “so far” included “a cough, terrible sore throat and headache. Fatigue for sure but… that’s pregnancy haha.” She urged fans “to take care of yourself. Drink an extra water tonight and wash your hands.” Shawn’s husband, NFL player Andrew East, recovered from the coronavirus in 2020.
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On Jan. 27, TMZ revealed that “Good Morning America” co-host Michael Strahan had been in isolation since the previous weekend after learning he’d been exposed to the coronavirus. He tested positive but, according to his ABC morning show colleague George Stephanopoulos — who had COVID-19 in 2020 — was “feeling well and looking forward to being back here shortly.”
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On Jan. 21, Dave Chappelle’s rep confirmed the comedian was in quarantine after being diagnosed with COVID-19. He got the news while following protocols that included “rapid testing for the audience and daily testing for himself and his team” amid a series of socially distanced performances he had scheduled in Austin, Texas. “His diligent testing enabled him to immediately respond by quarantining, thus mitigating the spread of the virus. Chappelle is asymptomatic,” his rep said.
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On Jan. 15, 2021, Liv Tyler revealed that she’d just reunited with her two youngest children after spending two weeks in quarantine as she recovered from COVID-19. “What a wild 2 weeks,” she in part captioned a photo with children Sailor and Lula Gardner. “I tested positive for covid 19 on New Year’s Eve day. … I had made it all the way through 2020 keeping myself and my family safe. Doing everything i could to protect my wolf pack and follow the rules to protect others. Suddenly on The morn of the last day of 2020… boom it took me down. It comes on fast, like a locomotive.” She said the rest of her family and bubble thankfully tested negative. Though Liv said she was lucky she had “corona light, as my momma @realbebebuell called it,” it still “floored me for 10 days.”
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Bravo star Brielle Biermann is quarantining away from her family in mom Kim Zolciak-Biermann’s in-home salon after being diagnosed with COVID-19, she revealed on her Instagram Stories on Jan. 13. “Still recovering but I’m doing good today!!” the “Don’t Be Tardy” star wrote on a selfie, adding that she planned to test again to see if she’d yet cleared the coronavirus because “I think I’ve had it for almost two weeks now.”
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Former “Jon & Kate Plus 8” star Jon Gosselin revealed on the Jan. 14 episode of “Dr. Oz” that he was recently hospitalized with a severe case of COVID-19. “I had a really bad COVID pneumonia based upon my numbers,” he said, adding that he was close to being put on a ventilator. “You go from perfectly healthy one week to you can’t do anything the next week. It was so weird. It’s still weird now.”
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While answering questions from fans on her Instagram Story in early January 2021, “Counting On” star Joy Anna Duggar Forsyth revealed that she and husband Austin Forsyth tested positive for COVID-19 “last year” when she “was still pregnant with Evelyn,” their daughter who was born in August 2020. “We both had body aches, slight fever, and lost our taste and smell. Thankfully we recovered quickly!” she added.
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Canadian music star Grimes (real name: Claire Elise Boucher) took to her Instagram Story late on Jan. 8, 2021, to tell fans she had contracted COVID-19. “Finally got COVID but weirdly enjoying the DayQuil fever dream … 2021,” she wrote. She did not reveal if her boyfriend, SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, or their infant son, X, were also infected.
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Actress Chloe Bennet from “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” revealed on Dec. 31 that she and her family were diagnosed with coronavirus infections over the holidays. “On Christmas morning I woke up with a high fever, and unable to breathe. I got tested, and I’m positive for COVID-19 … it’s been a rough week to say the least. We’ve all been battling it out together. We’re still not in the clear, but as of now we’re doing… okay,” she wrote on her Instagram Story. “I’m sharing this because I want to iterate to anyone who still may not be taking covid seriously, please please please f*** do. … I pride myself on staying healthy, I always wore a mask, social distanced, and took all the necessary precautions and I still got VERY sick. And I’m one of the lucky ones. I repeat! I’m young, healthy, and diligent about my health and this virus still knocked me the f down and continues to do so … If it can happen to me it can happen to you.”
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Actor Louis Gossett Jr. — who’s best known for his work in “An Officer and a Gentleman” and “Roots” — was diagnosed with COVID-19 in late December and admitted to a Georgia hospital, but he insisted on leaving and heading home to recover after just a few days because, according to a Dec. 31, 2020, report from TMZ, the wave of coronavirus deaths on his ward “freaked him out,” the webloid wrote. He checked out on Dec. 29 and went home to isolate, later telling TMZ, “Please wear masks, social distance, isolate, pray and listen within. We cannot survive without one another.”
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On Dec. 29, 2020, “The Office” alum Angela Kinsey shared with fans on her Instagram Story that she was the latest member of her family to test positive for COVID-19. “I knew the odds were against me since I was living with 4 Covid positive people,” she wrote. Shortly before Christmas, her stepsons, Cade and Jack, started running low-grade fevers. Tests showed they were positive. “We don’t go out and about and have been in lockdown so we aren’t sure how they got it,” she explained in a Dec. 24 post. Soon, husband Josh Snyder and her daughter from her first marriage, Isabel Lieberstein, tested positive. Angela was next. During all this, her mother was hospitalized with COVID-19 but was “doing better,” Angela shared on Dec. 29, adding that her mom would remain there “for a few more days just to be sure.”
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TV personality Dr. Drew Pinsky on Dec. 29, 2020, revealed that — months after he apologized for downplaying the coronavirus pandemic — he tested positive for COVID-19. After suffering a fever and being bed-bound for six days, he posted an Instagram video explaining that he was “through the viral phase” during which the virus was multiplying and had moved on to the “inflammatory phase” which for him meant his “lungs are filling up.” He added that he was “waiting on a monoclonal antibody infusion with bamlanivimab,” and later shared Instagram video of himself getting the treatment.
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On Dec. 28, 2020, Page Six broke the news that “The Real Housewives of Dallas” star D’Andra Simmons had been hospitalized with COVID-19. “Her oxygen levels were borderline,” said her rep, noting that the Bravo personality was admitted to the COVID ward at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, where she was being treated with Remdesivir. On Dec. 31, her rep shared good news in a statement to People magazine: “D’Andra is set to be released from the hospital today as she was able to sleep last night off of oxygen for the first time, and she will be receiving her last remdesivir treatment this afternoon. The doctors plan to collect the last of the research data for the Regeneron trial study before the end of the day. They anticipate sending her home later today with oxygen in case she has any setbacks.”
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Golf star Greg Norman spent Christmas Day 2020 in a Florida hospital after experiencing symptoms of the coronavirus. After returning home to quarantine, he learned his PCR test for COVID-19 was indeed positive, and on Dec. 27, Greg checked back into the hospital where he received the monoclonal antibody therapy bamlanivimab, he shared on Instagram in a lengthy post. He urged fans to take the virus seriously, explaining, “I am fit and strong and have a high tolerance for pain but this virus kicked the cr** out of me like nothing I have ever experienced before. Muscle and joint pain on another level. Headaches that feel like a chisel going through your head scrapping little bits off each time, fever, muscles that just did not want to work … due to fatigue. Then my taste failed…”
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On Christmas Eve 2020, Bachelor Nation stars Kaitlyn Bristowe and Jason Tartick revealed they had COVID-19 and explained how they got it. “Unfortunately, this is our Christmas card this year. We have Covid,” the “Dancing With the Stars” season 29 winner captioned this selfie on Instagram. “Jason and I had been trying to quarantine before seeing family. We thought we were making a responsible decision to have ONE person over, who had been tested daily for work. Negative tests 4 days in a row. The day we saw her, she became positive which we all found out the next day.” In a video on his Instagram page, Jason described some of his symptoms, which in the early days included a 103.1-degree fever, body aches and sweats. “Now, like many, we will spend Christmas by ourselves. We just want to let everyone know that we thought we were being safe, but covid is bigger than us,” Kaitlyn added. She later revealed she’d lost her sense of taste and smell.
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Early on Dec. 24, 2020, actor Shemar Moore told fans he’d been infected with the coronavirus. “I HAVE COVID!!!! Just found out moments ago… I thought I had food poisoning,” he explained in a text post on Instagram. “Chills and aches all day today… still can smell, taste, no cough, no runny nose.” The “S.W.A.T.” star added that he felt “fine” at the moment “but I have to be responsible!!!!” he added, making it clear he would be quarantining. “My Xmas n New Years is clearly not gonna be the best … but I WILL BE OKAY!!!! This is a hard time for ALL OF US… the WORLD!!! But… I BELIEVE in the sun shining through the rain!!! Stay safe and appreciate everything and everybody you have and had!! MUCH LOVE!!!!” he continued, concluding with “#wearamask.”
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On Dec. 23, 2020, personal trainer and model Sam Asghari — Britney Spears’ boyfriend of nearly four years — revealed on Instagram that he’d just recovered from COVID-19. “Recently I tested positive for Covid-19, I was lucky enough to catch the news before being around and infecting my loved ones (friends, family, significant other). I quickly isolated myself and started my quarantine process alone,” he wrote in part, adding, “This is where my healthy lifestyle helped a lot, I only had 1 day of common cold symptoms day 2 after testing positive but 24 hours later I was perfectly normal. I continued my workouts and clean nutrition at home as usual. 10 days later I was no longer contagious, and tested negative twice and was cleared by doctors to end quarantine and return to my loved ones.”
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On Dec. 17, 2020, France’s Elysee Palace announced that President Emmanuel Macron had tested positive for COVID-19 after experiencing symptoms and would begin a week-long isolation. The news sent other European politicians — including French Prime Minister Jean Castex, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and European Council President Charles Michel — into precautionary quarantines as the French president had spent time with them at meetings in recent days. Macron later shared a video while isolating, explaining that the virus “can really affect everyone because I am very protected; I am very careful; I respect protective measures and distancing. … And despite everything, I caught this virus, probably from a moment of neglect, a moment of bad luck too.”
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On Dec. 14, 2020, Sharon Osbourne revealed that she was the latest member of her family to be infected with the coronavirus (son Jack and two of her granddaughters had it in September). “I wanted to share I’ve tested positive for COVID-19,” the “The Talk” host wrote on Instagram. “After a brief hospitalization, I’m now recuperating at a location away from [my husband] Ozzy (who has tested negative) while The Talk is on scheduled hiatus. Everyone please stay safe and healthy.”
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Music star Ashanti revealed on social media on Dec. 12, 2020, that she tested positive for COVID-19 but so far was “OK and not in any pain.” The “Rock Wit U” singer later revealed on Instagram Live that she contracted the coronavirus from a family member who didn’t know they were positive at the time.
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On Dec. 11, DailyMail.com broke the news that Nancy Grace, who hosts Fox Nation’s “Crime Stories,” and her family tested positive for COVID-19 earlier in the week. Nancy was experiencing a cough and flu-like symptoms, husband David Linch endured severe headaches and their 13-year-old twins, John David and Lucy Elizabeth, had headaches and sore throats. Nancy and her son also lost their sense of smell. Her 88-year-old mother, Elizabeth, had to be hospitalized in Georgia but started to improve as the week went on. “David, the twins and I will continue to isolate at home while we recover and we look forward to Mom coming home as soon as we are all better,” Nancy told DailyMail.com, adding, “COVID is no joke. We thought we had done everything right. Please keep wearing masks, social distancing and stay safe — no family should go through this.”
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On Dec. 10, “Dancing With the Stars” judge and “The Talk” co-host Carrie Ann Inaba revealed on Instagram that she’d tested positive for COVID-19 and was experiencing symptoms including fever, a bad cough and “lots of aches and pains.” Carrie added that she was quarantining at home and following CDC instructions. “I have been in a very safe environment following all the guidelines and safety protocols and it still found its way to me,” she warned. “So, this is a friendly reminder to be extra careful this holiday season. Wear your masks, socially and physically keep your distance, and wash your hands. Take care everyone.”
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Talks how host Ellen DeGeneres announced that she’d contracted the coronavirus with a social media post on Dec. 10. “I want to let you all know that I tested positive for Covid-19,” the comedian wrote. “Fortunately, I’m feeling fine right now. Anyone who has been in close contact with me has been notified, and I am following all proper CDC guidelines. I’ll see you all again after the holidays.” Ellen later took to social media on Dec. 16 to share an update with fans, letting them know she was feeling better and had experienced an unexpected symptom during the acute phase of her illness: “excruciating” back pain.
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President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Dec. 6 to announce that former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani — who’s currently working as the POTUS’s personal attorney — was the latest member of his circle to test positive for COVID-19. Rudy — who The New York Times reported was being treated at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. — later tweeted, “I’m getting great care and feeling good. Recovering quickly and keeping up with everything.” On Dec. 10, he was released. He told New York’s Daily news that he received Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody cocktail — which is not available to most people suffering from the coronavirus — during his five-day hospital stay.
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Gloria Estefan tested positive for COVID-19 in November, she revealed in a Dec. 1 Instagram video. She believes she contracted it after an unexpected encounter with a fan at a restaurant in late October. “I want you to know how highly contagious this is — I wear my mask everywhere. I went to a restaurant outdoors with some family … and everybody was negative. We wore masks all the way to the table. … Someone came up to me when I was eating and tapped me on the shoulder,” she explained. “They were very close, they had no mask and they were telling me beautiful things. But that’s the only thing that I have done outside of my enclosure here.” She lost her senses of taste and smell on Nov. 5 and got a positive test result on Nov. 8. “I locked myself away on the second floor of my house, didn’t let anybody up for two weeks… Fortunately, I’m very lucky that the only symptoms that I had were the loss of smell and taste and a little bit of a cough.” She urged fans “to keep your immune system as healthy as you can” and to “wear your masks, stay six feet away and protect yourselves.”
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Singer-dancer JoJo Siwa had COVID-19 earlier this year, she told “Entertainment Tonight” in an interview published on Dec. 3. “It got through my whole family,” she shared. “We had headaches, we were tired, we had shortness of breath, we had all the things. All my family actually lost their taste and smell, but all have it back. But I never did.” JoJo said she was the last to feel symptoms after her mom, dad and brother became ill. “We were all, like, three days apart,” she said. “Everyone who gets this virus, it’s gonna affect them differently.”
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On July 30, Emmy-winning actor Bryan Cranston revealed in an Instagram post that he had COVID-19 “a little while ago” and was “very lucky” to have recovered after experiencing only “very mild symptoms” including “a slight headache, tightness of chest and [loss of] taste and smell.” The “Breaking Bad” star shared a video he made while visiting the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center, where he was donating his antibody-rich plasma. “I was pretty strict in adhering to the protocols and still… I contracted the virus,” he told fans, urging them to continue to wear masks, wash their hands and practice social distancing. Later, on the Dec. 4 episode of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” Bryan revealed more details of his illness, which also affected wife Robin Dearden. He said he was sick for about 10 days in March but nine months later, he was still experiencing an unsettling effect of the virus: “I lost a percentage of my ability to taste and smell,” he explained, adding that only “about 75% has come back. If someone was brewing coffee and I walk into a kitchen, I can’t smell it.”
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On Dec. 2, TMZ broke the news that almost half the cast of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” had contracted the coronavirus. Other outlets including Variety also confirmed the news that Kyle Richards, sister Kathy Hilton — who recently joined the Bravo show for its upcoming season 11 — and Dorit Kemsley had tested positive for COVID-19. According to TMZ, they “did not contract COVID on set” despite a recent production shutdown due to positive crew members, and “all three ladies are in the end stages of the virus and should be OK.” On Dec. 5, Kyle confirmed her illness on Instagram and revealed that one of her three daughters also tested positive. “Since I was diagnosed I have been separated from my family in order to keep them healthy. Unfortunately, Sophia also got it. We will stay in isolation until it’s safe to see the family and others again . I can’t wait to hug them 🥰,” she wrote.
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Rosie Perez contracted the coronavirus in December 2019 while in Asia to shoot the HBO Max miniseries “The Flight Attendant,” she told Uproxx in an interview published on Nov. 30. “I had contracted COVID when we flew to Bangkok,” she said. “And at that time, they were saying, ‘It’s a new respiratory tract infection. It’s a virus that’s going around. We don’t really know what it is and what it does, but it attacks the respiratory system first and then travels to other parts of your body.'” According to Rosie, her illness “was terrifying. I remember my manager was with me, and I said, ‘Tarik, don’t let me die in Bangkok.’ And he goes, ‘Oh my God, you’re scaring me.’ And the head of the ICU says, ‘You should be scared, sir. This is serious. We’re going to have to put her in a separate room.'” Little was known about the virus at the time, Rosie explained, but one thing her physician said stuck with her: “I remember the doctor saying to me, ‘The mask that you have on, the mask that I have on, every time you go outside, every time you meet someone wear that mask — not just for you, but to protect them too,'” she added. “And I haven’t forgotten it.”
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On Dec. 1, the Mercedes racing team confirmed that British Formula One champion driver Lewis Hamilton was isolating after testing positive for COVID-19 during mandatory pre-race PCR testing for the Sakhir Grand Prix, which he will now miss. Reports revealed the driving legend awoke on Nov. 30 with mild symptoms. He later learned he’d been exposed to the coronavirus before the Nov. 29 Bahrain Grand Prix — which he won — though he’d tested negative three times ahead of that race. “I’m gutted not to be able to race this weekend, but my priority is to follow the protocols and advice to protect others.” he wrote, in part, on Instagram. “I’m really lucky that I feel OK with only mild symptoms and will do my best to stay fit and healthy. Please look after yourselves out there.”
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“The Bachelor” season 22 star Arie Luyendyk Jr. revealed on his Instagram Stories on Nov. 26 that it had been “a rough road” after he was diagnosed with COVID-19 “nine days ago.” The race car driver-turned-realtor explained that he’d been isolating in his Arizona home separate from 1-year-old daughter Alessi and wife Lauren Burnham, who, he added, “just slides some food outside and then I go get it.” The following day, he sought out a rapid test in hopes he’d cleared the coronavirus. “Rapid tests are really hard to come by here (everyone is out of them). Had to go to an independent lab which charges $125. They do 300 tests a day and run through them before lunch,” Arie wrote alongside a photo of himself masked while waiting in line. Later on Nov. 27, he posted a photo of his negative test, adding, “Lauren is still scared to hug me though.”
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Sweden’s Prince Carl Philip and wife Princess Sofia tested positive for COVID-19 after experiencing flu-like symptoms on Nov. 25, 2020, Expressen reported the next day. Other members of the Swedish royal family including King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia and Crown Princess Victoria and her husband were tested — as of Nov. 26, all were all negative — because they were in the same room as Carl Philip and Sofia during a funeral service for Queen Silvia’s brother on Nov. 20 that was attended by fewer than 10 people.
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On July 3, 2020, a campaign aide confirmed that former Fox News personality Kimberly Guilfoyle — an adviser to former President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign who is in a relationship with Donald Trump Jr. — tested positive for the coronavirus, after which she was “immediately isolated to limit any exposure,” said the aide. “She’s doing well, and will be retested to ensure the diagnosis is correct since she’s asymptomatic but as a precaution will cancel all upcoming events.” Don Jr. tested negative at the time but months later in Nov. 20, 2020, a spokesman confirmed that the businessman and former “Celebrity Apprentice” star “tested positive at the start of the week and has been quarantining out at his cabin since the result.” Don Jr. later said in a Facebook video, “Apparently I got the ‘rona. You wouldn’t know it based on anything that I felt or have seen,” adding, “I only got tested ’cause I was supposed to do a father-son trip with my son after basically being on the road non-stop for a few months.”
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Another British royal is recovering from the coronavirus: Princess Michael of Kent, who’s married to Queen Elizabeth II’s paternal first cousin Prince Michael of Kent. “Princess Michael of Kent’s housekeeper fell ill three weeks ago and HRH was immediately tested and was found to be positive for COVID,” her spokesman, Simon Astaire, told the Sun on Sunday on Nov. 21. “She and her husband Prince Michael have remained in isolation at Kensington Palace ever since. Prince Michael did not test positive.” A source close to the couple further told the tabloid that the princess “is suffering from extreme fatigue and has terrible fevers.”
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“Catfish” star and “Dancing With the Stars” season 29 finalist Nev Schulman revealed on Instagram on Nov. 17 that he and wife Laura Perlongo had the coronavirus in March. “It was really scary as there was so little information available and we were terrified that our kids would get sick too. For over three weeks, my constant fatigue, headaches and difficulty breathing was awful and the stress of wondering if my symptoms would worsen was horrifying. Thank God my condition improved and our kids didn’t get sick and we were able to safely quarantine,” he wrote. On Nov. 23, Nev shared more with ETOnline, explaining, “Fortunately, I sort of made a full recovery in terms of cardio abilities earlier this summer,” adding that he did, however, have lingering issues with a symptom known as “COVID toes.” “Throughout the summer and fall I have had this sort of weird toe injury and achiness, you could say, which is pretty common,” Nev explained. “I don’t have it so much anymore, but they will start hurting [sometimes]. It has not, fortunately, inhibited my dancing abilities.”
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On Nov. 22, Latin trap and reggaeton artist Bad Bunny dropped out of a scheduled closing performance at the 2020 American Music Awards after testing positive for the coronavirus. Few details about the Puerto Rican music star’s illness were known at the time but Billboard reported that, according to sources, he was “weathering the virus well.”
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“Don’t Tell ‘Em” singer Jeremih almost died during his COVID-19 battle. On Nov. 14, sources told TMZ the music star had been hospitalized in Chicago and put on a ventilator in the ICU as his condition worsened. Fellow music stars took to social media to ask fans to pray for the 33-year-old Chicago-based R&B artist. “Please if you can take a second to pray for my friend Jeremih, he is like a brother to me and he’s ill right now. I believe in the healing power of Jesus so if you can for me please please say a prayer over him,” Chance the Rapper tweeted. Added 50 Cent on Instagram, “Pray for my boy Jeremih he’s not doing good this covid s*** is real. He’s in ICU in Chicago.” On Nov. 15, 50 gave fans a hopeful update: “He is responsive today, doing a little better,” he tweeted. On Nov. 19, Jeremih’s agent told Variety, “J was just pulled off the ventilator. He’s still in ICU in critical condition. Please keep him in your prayers.” In a statement published by “ET” on Nov. 21, the Def Jam artist’s family shared more good news: “Jeremih has been transferred out of ICU. He will spend the rest of his recovery time in a regular hospital room. The true healing begins.” On Dec. 5, Jeremih confirmed he’d been sent home and issued a statement thanking God, the fans who prayed for him and “the incredible team of doctors and nurses at Northwestern Memorial Hospital for saving my life. I will be forever grateful.”
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“The West Wing” alum Richard Schiff and his wife, “L.A. Law” and “Sisters” actress Sheila Kelley, tested positive for COVID-19 in early November. “On Election Day I tested positive for Covid-19. This has been the most bizarre week of our lives,” the actor, who was diagnosed while in Canada to film season 4 of “The Good Doctor,” tweeted on Nov. 10. “This is tough. We are determined to find a way to health again. We root for everyone out there who are struggling with this thing.” Several days later, the actor revealed his condition had declined and he’d been hospitalized. “I am in the hospital on Remdesivir, O2 and steroids showing some improvement every day. Sheila is home and doing better but still fairly ill. Love you all,” Richard tweeted on Nov. 16. Two days later, he was released. “I’m so grateful for all the love and support. It’s overwhelmingly moving and touches me deeply. Thanks to fantastic nurses and docs. I’m aware of how lucky I am. So many still struggling. Love!” Sheila, who was quarantining at their Vancouver home, also took to social media to share their experience. “This virus is a slippery sucker. One minute you feel almost fine and the next you can’t catch your breath. Symptoms change radically daily even hourly,” she wrote on Instagram on Nov. 10. “For those of you who do not have this virus stay healthy keep practicing physical distancing. If you have Covid we’re in this together. Breath deeply. Breath slowly. Breath fully. We will get through this together.”
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Former “The Real Housewives of Orange County” star Meghan King on Nov. 15 revealed that she was isolating after testing positive for the coronavirus seven months after estranged husband Jim Edmonds had COVID-19. “I have been safe while traveling but I had an exchange on [Nov. 10] where I did not protect myself and this is when I had been infected,” she wrote in part on her Instagram Story. “My [three] kids have been at their father’s but Hayes will quarantine due to a brief (1 hour) proximity to me,” she added, explaining, “I have contacted everyone and will isolate for 10 days minimum per CDC guidelines. My children will have to stay with my parents as they cannot stay at my house while I’m sick.” The reality TV star told fans she does have symptoms: “I went in to be tested mainly due to extreme lethargy, but I just knew I was positive. I don’t have a fever. I do have extreme exhaustion, sneezing, a mild cough and diarrhea. I think I’m losing my sense of smell. I ordered a regimen of vitamins and getting tons of rest, water, and food delivery. None of my friends or family are infected or have any symptoms.”
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Broadway star Ben Platt shared on Twitter on Nov. 15 that he had COVID-19 in March. The reveal came in response to a tweet asking if anyone knew people who’d had the coronavirus. “Me. it was like an awful flu that lingered for 3 weeks or so,” the “Dear Evan Hansen” Tony Award winner wrote. “Thankfully made a full recovery. so many haven’t been as lucky and will continue not to be. #WearAMask.” Ben added, “This was in march, I’m totally fine now you sweet bb’s. keep distancing and masking!”
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On Nov. 13, “The Real Housewives of Miami” alum Larsa Pippen revealed on her Instagram Stories that she had the coronavirus. “I’ve been battling COVID for a week,” she wrote alongside a photo of her legs in bed. “It’s no joke I’ve never felt pain like this!”
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During a Nov. 10 appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Hugh Grant said he and wife Anna Eberstein believe they had COVID-19 in February. The British actor, who said they both tested positive for antibodies in October, detailed their symptoms early in the pandemic. “It started as just a very strange syndrome where I kept breaking into a terrible sweat. It was like a poncho of sweat, embarrassing really,” Hugh shared. “And then my eyeballs felt about three sizes too big and this feeling as though some enormous man was sitting on my chest, sort of Harvey Weinstein or someone. I thought, ‘I don’t know what this is,’ and then I was walking down the street one day and I thought, ‘I can’t smell a d*** thing,’ and you start to panic, ’cause by then people were just starting to talk about [loss of smell] as a symptom.”
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On Nov. 9, Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard took to Instagram to let fans know he had COVID-19 and was staying apart from his wife and kids on his tour bus, which he parked outside their home. “Got the Rona. Asymptomatic. Quarantining on bus. Miss my family. Writing songs. Thankful,” the country music star explained.
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On Nov. 9, Country music singer Lee Brice had to cancel plans to take the stage at the Country Music Association Awards on Nov. 11 where he was set to perform the CMA Award-winning song “I Hope You’re Happy Now” with duet partner Carly Pearce because he tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the show. His rep told People magazine that Lee was “in good spirits and not experiencing any symptoms” and would be isolating at home for a few weeks until he was cleared by a doctor.
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“Sons of Anarchy” alum Charlie Hunnam revealed on the Nov. 6 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live” that he had COVID-19 near the start of the pandemic — and feared he’d recently contracted it again. Early in 2020, “I just lost my sense of taste and smell for about 10 days and had a little bit of fatigue,” he said, explaining that it “wasn’t particularly acute” but he knew something “wasn’t quite right” when he couldn’t smell the coffee he was grinding one morning. Charlie said longtime girlfriend Morgana McNelis also couldn’t taste their coffee. “It was very early on” in the pandemic at a time when loss of taste hadn’t “really come to light as a symptom of mild COVID,” he explained. Then, in early November, he again experienced symptoms and wondered if he’d contracted COVID-19 again. “I’m not sure what I have. I have a little bit of a persistent fever, a dry cough, a little bit of fatigue, so it could be COVID,” he told the late night host, though Charlie noted he’d tested negative after taking a rapid test earlier in the week and speculated it could also be something else. “So I could be unfairly jumping to conclusions.” Charlie added that he hadn’t really interacted with people in six months — except to seek care for a kitten he’d adopted. “Whether I just have a cold or flu or something, the only time I’ve ever been in any sort of contact with the outside world was taking her to the vet,” he said. “And it turns out what she has is feline coronavirus.”
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On Nov. 1, Britain’s The Sun tabloid broke the news that Prince William was diagnosed with COVID-19 back in April shortly after his father, Prince Charles, and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed they had the illness. However, the Duke of Cambridge decided to keep his diagnosis a secret so as not to further alarm the nation, The Sun and other outlets reported — a move that’s sparked widespread criticism. The newspaper further reported that William received treatment from palace physicians and quarantined away from his family at their Anmer Hall home in Norfolk, England. He got through it but he did have symptoms. “At one stage he was struggling to breathe, so obviously everyone around him was pretty panicked,” a source told The Sun. According to a Nov. 2 tweet from Daily Mail royals reporter Rebecca English, Kensington Palace officials “have belatedly confirmed that Prince William did have coronavirus in April – [but] [Duchess] Kate and the children did not. Valid questions as to why this was kept secret, although KP say he didn’t want to alarm people after his father’s diagnosis.”
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On the Oct. 29 episode of “The Dr. Oz Show,” “Ugly Betty” alum Vanessa Williams revealed she had COVID-19 early in the pandemic after catching the coronavirus from one of her “City of Angels” co-stars. “I had the aches, I had gastro issues and severe headache. I had the dry cough,” she said, as reported by “ET Canada.” “But luckily I distanced myself from everybody, quarantined for 14 days. Nobody saw me and made it through on the other end.”
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“Arrow” alum Stephen Amell revealed his diagnosis on the Oct. 27 episode of the “Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum” podcast, explaining that he’d gone into isolation several weeks earlier after someone else on the set of his new Starz drama “Heels” tested positive. Soon, his symptoms began. “I woke up and it was the strangest thing. My … right ear was plugged and I was hot and cold,” he explained. Stephen said he “never ran a fever,” but “for two nights, I was up every couple of hours vacillating between freezing cold and boiling hot. And I would be freezing cold because I sweat through all my stuff. So, I get up, dry off, change my clothes, get back into bed, warm up, and then start sweating again, and the cycle would just [on] repeat.” He also felt “super dizzy” and lost his appetite, ultimately dropping 15 pounds over three weeks. He said he felt incredibly lucky that unlike many other affected by the coronavirus, he had the “luxury of taking two weeks off.” Stephen also warned people to follow best practices. “I have actively, actively, actively tried to avoid contracting this virus. And guess what? I f****** got it anyway, so be smart,” he said. “If you’re being smart, stay smart. And if you’re not, you’re just dragging this s*** on longer for everybody else.”
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Dustin Johnson — the top-ranked golfer in the world — experienced symptoms of a coronavirus infection on Oct. 11 and, when they failed to improve by Oct. 13, took a test that confirmed he had COVID-19, CNN reported. He had to withdraw from a PGA Tour event but made clear he was following medical advice as he hoped to be back in competition later in the month.
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On Oct. 13, the Portuguese Football Federation confirmed that one of the world’s most well-known athletes, Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, had tested positive for the coronavirus. At the time, the Juventus forward was “doing well, without symptoms and [is] in isolation,” the PFF said in a statement.
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In an interview with Grazia magazine published on Oct. 5, Kim Kardashian West spoke about caring for husband Kanye West when he had COVID-19 at the start of the pandemic. “Kanye had it way at the beginning, when nobody really knew what was going on. It was so scary and unknown. I had my four babies and no one else in the house to help,” she said. “It was a challenge because it was so unknown. Changing his sheets with gloves and a face shield was really a scary time.” Kanye first revealed he’d recovered from the virus in a wild July 8 interview with Forbes that focused on his plans to run for president in 2020. The rapper-designer said his symptoms included “chills, shaking in the bed” and to cope, he was “taking hot showers, looking at videos telling me what I’m supposed to do to get over it,” he said, adding, “I remember someone had told me Drake had the coronavirus and my response was, ‘Drake can’t be sicker than me!'”
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Music star Trey Songz revealed his positive COVID-19 test on Oct. 5. “Here with a very important message to let you know that I tested positive for COVID-19,” Trey began a video he shared on Instagram. “I’ve taken many tests as I’ve been out protesting, food drives, of course I have a very young son at home, so I get tested periodically and this time unfortunately it came back positive.” He went on to say, “7.5 million Americans have contracted Covid. One out of a thousand black people have died from it. I will be taking this seriously. I will be self-quarantining. I will be in my house until I see a negative sign.”
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In the early morning hours of Oct. 2, 2020 — hours after news broke revealing that Hope Hicks, one of his senior counselors, had been diagnosed with the coronavirus — President Donald Trump confirmed he and first lady Melania Trump had the virus too. “Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!” he tweeted. Later that day, the president was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after his oxygen levels dropped. Over the next few days, multiple high-profile members of his inner circle — including counselor Kellyanne Conway, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany and many others also tested positive for COVID-19. Son Barron Trump also tested positive.
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“The Big Bang Theory” alum Jim Parsons revealed on the Sept. 28. Episode of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” that he and husband Todd Spiewak battled COVID-19 in the spring. ″Todd and I both had it early on. It was, like, middle of March,″ Jim said. ″We didn’t know what it was. We thought we had colds. And then it seemed less likely, and then finally we lost our sense of smell and taste.″ The actor added, “It defied the descriptions for me. I didn’t realize how completely taste and smell could be gone.”
RELATED: Global royals wearing face masks
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“The Talk” co-host Sharon Osbourne revealed on Sept. 21 that granddaughter Minnie, 2 — whose parents are TV host Jack Osbourne and his ex-wife, Fancy Sprinkles founder Lisa Stelly — had recently tested positive for the coronavirus. “One of my granddaughters has come down with COVID,” Sharon said. “She’s OK, she’s doing good.” Minnie, Sharon explained, acquired the illness “from somebody who works for my son.” Sharon added that the diagnosis “just goes to show you … that children can get COVID.” Jack then confirmed on the Sept. 23 episode of the “Pretty Messed Up” podcast that another of his three daughters also has COVID-19. The same day, ex Lisa confirmed on her Instagram Stories that she too had tested positive.
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On Sept. 20, Giuliana Rancic revealed on E!’s “Live From the Red Carpet: The 2020 Emmy Awards” special that she, husband Bill Rancic and their son, Duke, recently tested positive for the coronavirus. While explaining her absence from the broadcast, Giuliana said, “As I go into my 20th year on the E! red carpet I have to say I do not take missing an award show lightly, but unfortunately this year is just so different. As part of E! and NBCUniversal’s very strict testing guidelines, especially before an event like this, I did find out that I tested positive for COVID-19. Now as much as I didn’t want to hear that, I’m very thankful I heard it before I traveled and possibly could have exposed other people. So for that, I’m thankful.” She went on to say that she and her family are “all doing well and taking care of each other.”
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Like Giuliana Rancic, Vivica A. Fox was also forced to drop out of her hosting duties on E!’s “Live From the Red Carpet: The 2020 Emmy Awards” special after testing positive for the coronavirus. During the Sept. 20 broadcast, her E! colleague Brad Goreski read a statement from the actress explaining that “in an abundance of caution,” she’d decided to isolate at home while recovering. “I’m terribly sorry I cannot be with my E! family tonight! Unfortunately, I have tested positive for the coronavirus,” she shared.
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On Sept. 15, actor Neil Patrick Harris revealed that he, husband David Burtka and their 9-year-old twins, Gideon and Harper, had the coronavirus in the spring. “It happened very early [in the pandemic], like late March, early April,” Neil told the “Today” show. “We were doing our best before, and I thought I had the flu, and I didn’t want to be paranoid about it. And then I lost my sense of taste and smell, which was a big indicator, so we holed up.” The Tony- and Emmy-winning actor added that though their experience was “not pleasant … we got through it and have antibodies and are feeling good [now].”
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On Sept. 8, fitness star Jillian Michaels revealed in an interview with Fox Business that she had the coronavirus in August after contracting it from a friend who was asymptomatic. “I literally let my guard down for an hour with one of my best friends who does my hair and makeup and got it. It’s just that simple,” she said, adding, “If you’re not in a mask and that person is not in a mask, and they have COVID and have no idea — because, by the way, I had no idea that I had it for six days [and] my friend had no idea that she had it when she gave it to me.” Jillian has since recovered. “I’m fortunate to have gone into it being healthy and I was able to get on the other side of it pretty quick, but not everyone is that lucky, as we know,” she said, issuing a further warning to fans to rethink where they work out. “All I can tell you is if you are afraid of getting COVID, a public gym is probably a place where you will get it.”
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On Sept. 4, “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise star Michael Rooker took to Instagram to reveal that he’d finally tested negative after fighting the coronavirus. “It has been quite a battle. And as in any war, ALL is fair. And IN the middle of this epic battle….I’ve come to the conclusion that there aint a whole heck of a lot one can do externally, to fight off COVID-19 once it has gotten into your Body/immune system,” the alum of “The Walking Dead” wrote in a lengthy post. “This is my personal opinion And definitely not The conclusion of some scientific Study. The real battle takes place internally, on a cellular level. And For me, I made the decision not to take any extra medicines or vitamins or supplements. I felt that if my immune system was not already prepared for this battle loading up with all this extra stuff would only do me damage as kidneys and liver would have been gravely stressed…” Ultimately, he shared, “My body/immune system, has won the WAR!”
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Tiffany Haddish revealed on social media that she tested positive for the coronavirus early in the pandemic but was asymptomatic. She spoke to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, about her experience and what people can do to try to stay healthy then shared their conversation on YouTube on Aug. 31. “I was working on a movie and someone in the movie contracted coronavirus,” she told the scientist. “I was not in direct contact with them, but they sent all of us home, we stopped the movie. They suggested I go get tested. I got tested, got the results back two days later, they said I didn’t have the coronavirus.” But after someone she knew came back positive, the “Girls Trip” star got tested a second time even though she wasn’t “feeling any symptoms or anything, and it comes back like two days later, and they said I did have the coronavirus.” She quarantined with her dogs and later tested negative, “then I got tested for antibodies, they said I had antibodies,” she explained. “That was three months ago. I’ve been tested 12 times now because I’ve been working and everything.” A later test, however, showed that she no longer had antibodies.
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On Sept. 3, Vanity Fair reported that Robert Pattinson tested positive for the coronavirus on the U.K. set of “The Batman,” which had just resumed shooting a few days earlier. Subsequently, production on the superhero flick was shut down for the second time.
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On Sept. 2, Dwayne Johnson posted a video on Instagram revealing that he, wife Lauren Hashian and their young daughters, Jasmine and Tiana, battled the coronavirus in August. “I wanted to give you guys a little helpful update on things that have been going on on my end for the past two-and-a-half to three weeks now. So the update is this: my wife Lauren as well as my two baby girls and myself, we have all tested positive for COVID-19,” he began. He shared that he and his family contracted the virus from family friends who were “devastated” they’d unwittingly infected The Rock and his loved ones. While his daughters “bounced back” from the virus fairly quickly after suffering from symptoms including sore throats, he said, he and and Lauren “had a rough go at it.” They’re finally feeling better now. “We’re on the other side,” he added. “We’re no longer contagious, and we are — thank God — we are healthy.”
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Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh revealed in an interview with the Los Angeles Times published on Aug. 31 that he fought COVID-19 in May and June and was on a ventilator at L.A.’s Cedars-Sinai hospital. “For anybody that’s doubting whether the coronavirus and COVID-19 is real, it’s really real,” the “Whip It” singer said. Despite switching to virtual recording sessions for some animated films he was scoring, the musician-composer found himself near strangers at his offices in late May and days later had a 103-degree fever. His wife made calls and, he explained, “a nurse came over the next morning and said, ‘You should be in ICU.’ I said, ‘That’s ridiculous.’ She replied that she’d been a nurse for three decades: ‘You need an ambulance right now.'” He spent 18 days in the ICU and credits his wife and kids’ loving, positive phone calls with helping him find hope amid the confusion and hallucinations. “If you have anyone that you know who’s in ICU with COVID, contact them and keep them in touch with the outside world, because it’s easy to lose track of where you are and why you are,” he said. “I had no idea I was on a ventilator for 10 days. Time meant nothing.”
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Comedy star Kevin Hart revealed during a stand-up set at Dave Chappelle’s “An Intimate Socially Distanced Affair” show in Yellow Springs, Ohio, over the weekend of Aug. 22 that he had the coronavirus early in the pandemic, Page Six reported. “The problem is that I had it around the same time as Tom Hanks, and I couldn’t say anything because he’s more famous than I am,” Kevin joked.
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On Aug. 13, Billboard reported that Colombian reggaeton performer J Balvin revealed in a recorded-from-home award acceptance clip that he’d tested positive for the coronavirus. While accepting the video with a purpose prize for his music video “Rojo” during Premios Juventud 2020, he explained, as translated from Spanish, “At this moment, I’m just getting better from COVID-19. These have been very difficult days, very complicated. Sometimes we won’t think that we’ll get it but I got it and I got it bad. My message to those that follow me, young fans and people in general is to take care. This isn’t a joke. The virus is real and it’s dangerous.”
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On “The Late Late Show With James Corden” Aug. 12, “Succession” star Brian Cox revealed he learned he’d previously had COVID-19 after an antibody test came back positive. “I’m a diabetic, and I went [for] my usual bloods…” he explained of tests run during a routine visit to a Massachusetts hospital. “I went there, and they took my bloods, and they [did] the COVID test. Then my doctor called me and said, ‘Oh, congratulations. You’ve had it.'” Brian was shocked, he said, because he’d “never felt anything.” Thinking back, he recalled experiencing four days of sneezing attacks and tiredness, which he at the time chalked up to jet lag, after returning home from directing a play in London in December, and thought that perhaps that’s when he was unknowingly infected with the coronavirus.
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On Aug. 10 — his 60th birthday — Antonio Banderas revealed that he’d been diagnosed with the coronavirus and was celebrating his birthday in quarantine. The Oscar-nominated actor added, in a message posted in Spanish on Twitter, that he was feeling “relatively well, just a little more tired than usual” and was confident that he’d recover from the infection “that is affecting people around the planet.” He said he’s taking “advantage of this isolation to read, write and rest” and would be working to find new ways to give meaning to his new milestone age, “to which I arrive loaded with desire and hope. A big hug to all.”
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On Aug. 5, “Who’s the Boss?” alum Alyssa Milano took to Instagram to reveal she had the coronavirus in the spring but struggled with testing. “This was me on April 2nd after being sick for 2 weeks. I had never been this kind of sick. Everything hurt. Loss of smell. It felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t keep food in me. I lost 9 pounds in 2 weeks. I was confused. Low grade fever. And the headaches were horrible. I basically had every Covid symptom,” she wrote alongside a photo of herself using a nebulizer to help her breathe. “At the very end of march I took two covid19 tests and both were negative. I also took a covid antibody test (the finger [blood-draw] test) after I was feeling a bit better. NEGATIVE. After living the last 4 months with lingering symptoms like, vertigo, stomach abnormalities, irregular periods, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, zero short term memory, and general malaise, I went and got an antibody test from a [vein] blood draw (not the finger [one]) from a lab. I am POSITIVE for covid antibodies. I had Covid19. I just want you to be aware that our testing system is flawed and we don’t know the real numbers. I also want you to know, this illness is not a hoax. I thought I was dying. It felt like I was dying. I will be donating my plasma with hopes that I might save a life. Please take care of yourselves. Please wash your hands and wear a mask and social distance. I don’t want anyone to feel the way I felt.”
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Lena Dunham took to Instagram on July 31 to reveal that she suffered from COVID-19 for three weeks beginning in mid-March and continues to deal with lingering and related health issues. “It started with achy joints,” the star and creator of “Girls” explained in a lengthy and detailed post, adding that “an impossible, crushing fatigue” followed. “Then, a fever of 102. Suddenly my body simply… revolted.” The nerves in her feet burned, her muscles were weak, her hands were numb and she lost her senses of taste and smell. She experienced severe headaches and rashes too. “We don’t yet understand the long term impact of this illness on people’s bodies and minds,” she warned, urging people to be sensible and compassionate as the pandemic continues.
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On July 24, reality TV star Shannon Beador took to Instagram to reveal that she and her three daughters — 18-year-old Sophie and 14-year-old twins Stella and Adeline — tested positive for the virus. “Today, we are Covid positive times 4. The girls and I are blessed to be quarantining in the same home (but isolating in separate rooms). A huge thank you to all of the medical personnel that have been patiently guiding us through this illness. Sending prayers to all of those affected,” the star of “The Real Housewives of Orange County” captioned a “pre-pandemic” pic with her daughters.
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Mel Gibson was hospitalized for a week this spring after contracting the coronavirus, his rep revealed on July 24. “He tested positive in April and spent a week in the hospital. He was treated with the drug Remdesivir, while in the hospital, and has tested negative numerous times since then as well as positive for the antibodies,” the actor-director’s rep told Daily Telegraph Australia.
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On July 21, actress Anna Camp took to Instagram to share her experience with the coronavirus and urge fans to wear masks. “I felt it was my responsibility to share that I ended up getting Covid-19. I have since tested negative, but I was extremely sick for over three weeks and still have lingering symptoms,” the “Pitch Perfect” franchise star began a lengthy post. “I was incredibly safe. I wore a mask. I used hand sanitizer. One time, when the world was starting to open up, I decided to forgo wearing my mask in public. One. Time. And I ended up getting it.” She explained that her illness was nothing like the flu. “I’ve had the flu, and this is absolutely not that. The panic of contracting a virus that is basically untreatable and is so new that no one knows the long term irreparable damage it does to your immune system is unbelievably stressful. Completely losing my sense of smell and taste without knowing when or even if they will return is extremely disorienting. I’m only smelling about 30 percent of how I used to now. Other persistent symptoms are (a month later) dizziness, extreme fatigue, impacted sinuses, upset stomach, nausea, vomiting, and fever. I’m lucky. Because I didn’t die. But people are. Please wear ur mask. It can happen any time. And it can happen to anyone. Even that one time you feel safe.”
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“The Real Housewives of Atlanta” alum Sheree Whitfield took to Instagram on July 14 to tell fans that she was recovering from the coronavirus. “I tested positive for COVID-19,” she said in a video post, explaining why she’s been off social media and hasn’t been getting back to friends. “I’ve kind of really just been at home, self-quarantining for the past week and a half. I just want you guys to know that it is no joke. I’m feeling much better today … [but] I just have been out of it.”
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On July 2, Miss USA 1995 Shanna Moakler revealed she had COVID-19. “I got my test results back yesterday and I am indeed positive. They think I’m in around about day seven,” she said on her Instagram Stories, adding that her symptoms included “fever, chills, coughing, all kinds of stuff” but that “mostly I’m just really exhausted in a way I can’t even describe.” Shanna said she was resting and working with her doctor and a nutritionist to “boost my immune system and help me fight this.”
RELATED: Musicians who’ve performed for live crowds during the coronavirus pandemic
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On July 1, People magazine reported that “The Real Housewives of New York City” star Ramona Singer and her daughter, Avery Singer, both tested positive for coronavirus antibodies, indicating they’d previously had COVID-19. “We both found out we have the antibodies, so we donated our plasma,” Ramona told the magazine, explaining that she and her only child were tested for antibodies in May. The Bravo star explained that looking back, she realizes she had mild symptoms in February but wasn’t tested for COVID-19 at the time as it was early in the pandemic plus she’d been diagnosed with Lyme disease around the same time. “I had no energy,” she recalled of being sick months ago. “I just wanted to stay in bed all day. I felt very tired, and I also had severe headaches.” After she and Avery flew to Boca Raton, Florida, in early March to quarantine with Ramona’s ex-husband, Mario, as a family, Avery began to feel ill. “She just thought maybe she had a cold or a sinus infection, because she wasn’t able to taste food and she lost her sense of smell,” Ramona told People. “We kept her quarantined in a separate part of the home because, not realizing I had already been sick, I was afraid my Lyme disease had weakened my immune system and I would be more vulnerable to catching an illness.” They now know Avery’s isolation appeared to be effective because Mario tested negative for coronavirus antibodies.
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On June 21, actor-comedian D.L. Hughley announced on social media that he’d tested positive for coronavirus after he was taken to a Nashville hospital following his collapse on stage during a show on June 19. He explained in a brief video that he was shocked by the diagnosis that came as he was being treated for extreme exhaustion and dehydration because he hadn’t suffered any classic symptoms of COVID-19. “I was what they call asymptomatic,” he explained. “I didn’t have flu-like symptoms, I didn’t have shortness of breath, I didn’t have difficulty breathing, I didn’t have a cough, I didn’t have a low-grade fever. I still don’t have a fever. I didn’t have a loss of smell or taste, apparently I just lost consciousness.” He said he would be quarantining in his hotel room for two weeks after leaving the hospital. Days later, he told TMZ that he learned he’d unknowingly spread the virus to his son and nearly everyone at his radio show. D.L. believes he contracted the virus in Dallas, where he’d been performing in the week leading up to his medical incident. In between his shows in Dallas and Nashville, he recorded his radio show in California. “Everybody who I came in contact with… at the radio show tested positive,” he said, noting there was one exception. “My daughter didn’t get it because she had a mask on the whole time.”
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Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli revealed on May 26 that he’s recovered from COVID-19. The famed singer — who delivered a lockdown high point on April 12 when he performed classics at Milan’s Duomo cathedral, without an audience, for Easter — shared the news with journalists when he and his wife went to a hospital in Pisa, Italy, to donate their antibody-rich plasma, France 24 reported. Andrea tested positive for the coronavirus more than a month before his headline-making concert. “It was a tragedy, my whole family was contaminated,” he told journalists. “We all had a fever — though thankfully not high ones — with sneezing and coughing … It was like living a nightmare because I felt like I was no longer in control of things. I was hoping to wake up at any moment.” According to CNN, the singer didn’t reveal he was sick sooner so as “not to unnecessarily alarm” fans and in order to protect his family’s privacy.
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On May 19, “Set It Up” star Zoey Deutch revealed to Vulture that she had COVID-19, “continued testing positive for a month” and has now recovered. She explained, “I had the coronavirus early on, before the shutdown, and a group of my friends also got it. People keep asking me, ‘Where did you get it?’ and I wish I knew.” The star of “The Politician,” whose parents are actress Lea Thompson and filmmaker Howard Deutch, made it clear that despite testing positive for so long, “I’m OK now.” Zoey went on to explain that she and her friends all had “drastically different symptoms. I had a sore throat and felt totally delirious, like I was losing my mind. … One of my friends only lost taste and smell. One went to the hospital with the ‘normal’ symptoms, but another friend had absolutely no symptoms at all. I stayed inside for almost two months, and I still very minimally go out, with a mask.” She is grateful to be recovered. “I am so lucky to be healthy, that I’m safe and not immunocompromised and have access to doctors; I am incredibly privileged. But not everyone shares that privilege — so we need to be extra careful for those who don’t by wearing masks,” she added.
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“Today” co-host and meteorologist Dylan Dreyer revealed on the morning show’s May 13 episode that she tested positive for coronavirus antibodies, which means she’s previously had COVID-19 despite being asymptomatic. Dylan’s husband, cameraman Brian Fichera, was diagnosed with the virus in March and isolated himself in one of their children’s bedrooms in their New York City apartment during the duration of his illness, though it’s believed Dylan was still exposed.
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On the May 11 episode of Peacock’s “At-Home Variety Show,” Emmy-winning actor Tony Shalhoub said that he and his wife, Brooke Adams, “came down with the virus” in April. “It was a pretty rough few weeks, but we realize that so many other people have and had it a lot worse,” said the former “Monk” star, who’s since recovered.
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In late April, Madonna announced that she had tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies but didn’t clarify whether or not she ever felt symptoms. Then on May 6, she revealed that she was sick during her “Madame X” tour. “I am not currently sick,” she said on Instagram. “When you test positive for anti-bodies it means you HAD the virus which I clearly did as I was sick at the end of my tour in Paris over 7 weeks ago along with many other artists in my show but at the time.” At the time, Madge just thought she “had a very bad flu,” she said.
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Longtime “60 Minutes” star Lesley Stahl revealed on the May 3 episode of her news magazine show that she has recovered after a battle with the coronavirus. “After two weeks at home in bed, weak, fighting pneumonia, and really scared, I went to the hospital. I found an overworked, nearly overwhelmed staff. Every one of them kind, sympathetic, gentle and caring from the moment I arrived until the moment days later when I was wheeled out through a gauntlet of cheering medical workers. In the face of so much death, they celebrate their triumphs,” she shared. “Thanks to them, like so many other patients, I am well now. Tonight, we all owe them our gratitude, our admiration — and in some cases, our lives.”
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Three members of the Cuomo family were hit hard by the coronavirus. CNN’s Chris Cuomo, the host of “Cuomo Prime Time,” revealed his diagnosis in a March 31 tweet. He continued hosting his show from his basement, keeping viewers apprised of the challenges — like the “beast” of a fever, chills, shortness of breath and hallucinations he experienced. “I just hope I didn’t give it to the kids and [my wife] Cristina. That would make me feel worse than this illness!” he tweeted in March. But about two weeks later on April 15, he revealed on his show while speaking to his brother, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, that his journalist wife had indeed just tested positive. Chris shared that her symptoms included losing “her sense of smell and taste.” By April 20, both had recovered per CDC guidelines, but the good news didn’t last… On April 22, the couple revealed that their 14-year-old son, Mario, was also infected (they also have two daughters). “This virus does not discriminate,” Cristina wrote on Instagram. “While kids are more resilient, they can suffer [the] same severity of symptoms.” She added the one upside: “Since his sense of smell and taste have disappeared, I am feeding him healthy foods that I normally can’t get him to touch.”
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On April 1, fitness influencer Amanda Kloots revealed that her husband, Tony-nominated Broadway and TV actor Nick Cordero, had been hospitalized with a serious illness. “Nick has been sick for awhile with what we were told last week was pneumonia. Unfortunately we think he was misdiagnosed and we are waiting to hear if this is in fact COVID. He is scared, in the ICU and now unconscious so his body can get enough oxygen,” she wrote on Instagram, later sharing that he’d fallen ill on March 20 and that a COVID-19 diagnosis was finally confirmed. The actor was put on a ventilator and ECMO, a machine that pumps and oxygenates a patient’s blood outside the body, allowing the heart and lungs to rest. Though Nick was able to eventually come off the ECMO, his health further declined: Nearly three weeks after his hospitalization, doctors at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles had to amputate Nick’s right leg due to clotting complications. But NIck’s story, sadly, did not have a happy ending: After more than three months in the hospital and myriad ups and downs, he died on July 5 at 41.
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Another CNN anchor, Brooke Baldwin, announced on April 3 that she’d tested positive for the coronavirus. “I am OKAY,” she said in an Instagram post. “It came on suddenly yesterday afternoon. Chills, aches, fever.” She said she’d been social distancing and “doing ALL the things we’re being told to do.” Brooke added, “Still — it got me.” While thanking medical workers, she said she’d be back on the air soon — but that didn’t happen as her symptoms worsened. “It took a full two-week beating on my body. I went to some very dark places, especially at night,” she wrote in a lengthy essay for CNN on April 20 after she’d finally recovered. She also explained more about some of her specific symptoms. “I can remember the day before I lost my ability to taste or smell. I kept smelling the acrid ammonia-like odor of jewelry cleaner. Except there wasn’t any jewelry cleaner in sight. By the next morning — wham — I couldn’t taste the salted butter on my toast, and couldn’t catch a whiff of the peppermint in my tea,” she wrote. “Along with my appetite, my energy was also zapped. I slept easily 10-12 hours at night, waking many mornings soaking wet having sweat through the sheets. A golf-ball sized gland swelling under my jaw became the daily sign that my body was fighting.” She also shared, “Over two weeks, the fever, chills and aches would sometimes leave just long enough to fool me into thinking I was finally recovering. Then they would revisit me with a vengeance. I never knew when it would end. It was relentless, scary, and lonely.”
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On March 11, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson — the first major stars to come forward — announced on Instagram that they had tested positive for the virus in Australia. “We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too. To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the Coronavirus, and were found to be positive,” the beloved actor wrote on Instagram. More than a month later during an April 16 interview with “The National Defense Radio Show,” Tom opened up more about how his and Rita’s symptoms differed. “Rita went through a tougher time than I did. She had a much higher fever. She had lost her sense of taste and sense of smell,” he said. “I had some bad body aches and was very fatigued.” Tom further shared that they were both isolated in an Australian hospital for three days after they tested positive. “It was relatively early in Australia’s response to the coronavirus, and they wanted us to not give it to anyone else,” he explained. Tom attempted to stay active while infected — he said he’d start doing a 30-minute routine of stretching, floor exercises and “old man kind of things,” but that he never completed a full session: “I was wiped after 12 minutes.”
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This celebrity couple had COVID near the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Comedian-actress Ali Wentworth revealed on April 1, 2020, that she’d “never been sicker” after testing positive. “High fever. Horrific body aches. Heavy chest. I’m quarantined from my family,” she said on Instagram. “This is pure misery.” She was finally able to rejoin her family on April 13 following more than two weeks of isolation in her bedroom. It was the same day that her husband, “Good Morning America” anchor George Stephanopoulos, revealed on the morning show that he’d just been diagnosed with COVID-19. George also revealed that while it’s “no surprise” that he had it too now, unlike his wife — who was miserable — he was actually asymptomatic. “I’ve never had a fever, never had chills, never had a headache, never had a cough, never had shortness of breath,” he said. “I’m feeling great.”
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Grammy-winning producer-singer-songwriter Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds took to social media on April 10 — his 62nd birthday — to let fans know he and his family were recovering from coronavirus infections. “I would like to warmly thank everyone for all the birthday wishes today,” he wrote. “I feel so blessed to be able to celebrate another birthday. I tested positive for Covid19, as did my family. It’s an incredibly scary thing to go through my friends.” However, he added, “I’m happy to report we have now tested negative and are on our way back to full health.”
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“Chrisley Knows Best” star Todd Chrisley is recovering after testing positive for the coronavirus, he revealed on the April 8 episode of his “Chrisley Confessions” podcast. “I have been battling corona for three weeks. I was in the hospital for four and a half days, fever between 100 to 103 [degrees] and it has been the sickest I have ever been on this earth,” he said. “Hopefully, I will get better every day, but as of right now, folks, I still am not clicking on all cylinders. I am probably about 70 to 75% of what I normally I am, but that last 25% is kicking my a”.” Daughter Savannah Chrisley shared details on Instagram about how her dad got diagnosed. “After a couple days mom and I talked him into going to urgent care…he went in and he was showing all symptoms of COVID-19 so they tested him. Here in TN Vanderbilt was extremely prepared for testing and has testing at 15 or so of their walk in clinics. So before people say… ‘OH HE ONLY GOT TESTED BECAUSE HES A CELEBRITY…’ u are WRONG!” she wrote. “He went into an urgent care just like the rest of u would. After getting tested he went back home and stayed quarantined in his bedroom for 7 days and then his test came back..POSITIVE..when mom and I read that our hearts dropped. Dads symptoms were worsening as days went on..finally at 3am on a Sunday he woke mom up saying he has to go to the ER..he couldn’t fight it any longer.”
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On April 5, Duran Duran bassist John Taylor took to social media to reveal that he was recovering following a COVID-19 diagnosis. “DEAR FRIENDS OF MINE after giving some thought to this, I have decided to share with you that I tested positive with the Corona Virus almost three weeks ago,” he began his post. “Perhaps I am a particularly robust 59 year old – I like to think I am – or was blessed with getting only a mild case of Covid 19 – but after a week or so of what I would describe as a ‘Turbo-charged Flu’, I came out of it feeling okay- although I must admit I didn’t mind the quarantine as it gave me the chance to really recover.” John explained that he was speaking out “in answer to the enormous amount of fear being generated by the pandemic, some of it entirely justified, and my heart goes out to everyone who has had to deal with real loss and pain. But I want to let you know that it isn’t always a killer, and we can and will beat this thing.”
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Singer-songwriter Christopher Cross announced on Facebook on April 3 that he’d tested positive for COVID-19. “I’m not in the habit of discussing medical issues on social media, but I do so in hope this will help other people to understand how serious and how contagious this illness is. Although I am fortunate enough to be cared for at home, this is possibly the worst illness I’ve ever had,” he wrote, urging people to wash their hands and “follow the science.” He continued, “For those of you who still do not believe the COVID-19 virus is real, or think it is a ‘hoax’ or part of some conspiracy, my advice to you is to understand right now that this is a deadly illness spreading like wildfire throughout the world.”
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On April 3, Pink took to Twitter to reveal that after she and her son, Jameson Hart, started “showing symptoms of COVID-19” two weeks earlier, they paid a visit to their primary care physician, who had access to tests for the coronavirus. Her results came back positive. “My family was already sheltering at home and continued to do so for the last two weeks following the instruction of our doctor,” she wrote, adding that they were re-tested “a few days ago” and “are now thankfully negative.” The singer went on to disparage the fact that tests are not more readily available: “This illness is serious and real,” she continued. “People need to know that the illness affects the young and old, healthy and unhealthy, rich and poor, and we must make testing free and more widely accessible to protect our children, our families, our friends and our communities.” In the wake of the health crisis, Pink has donated $1 million split between the Temple University Hospital Emergency Fund in Philadelphia in honor of her mother, Judy Moore, who worked in the cardiomyopathy and heart transplant center there for 18 years, and to the Los Angeles mayor’s emergency COVID-19 crisis fund.
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Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Twitter that he had “mild symptoms” after contracting the coronavirus. “Over the last 24 hours I have developed mild symptoms and tested positive for coronavirus,” he wrote on March 27. “I am now self-isolating, but I will continue to lead the government’s response via video-conference as we fight this virus. Together we will beat this.” But 10 days after testing positive, he was hospitalized with “persistent symptoms” and was soon put in intensive care. He was released after a week and publicly thanked Britain’s National Health Service and its doctors and nurses as “it could have gone either way,” he admitted of his illness. “The NHS has saved my life, no question.”
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In an April 2 Instagram video, singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles said that she “had it” but is now “fully recovered.” Said the “Love Song” chart-topper, “I’m really quiet right now and will probably continue to be quiet — just sort of taking all of this in and having a lot of feelings, as I do. … I am just thinking about all of the people who are walking through this really tricky time and sending a lot of love and just being really grateful for every easy breath and every day that I get to be walking around.”
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On April 1, Fountains of Wayne frontman Adam Schlesinger passed away due to complications from the coronavirus. He was 52. The Emmy and Tony winner had previously been put on a ventilator in a New York hospital as he battled Covid-19. According to his girlfriend, the “Stacy’s Mom” singer had been “sedated to facilitate his recovery.” On March 31, Adam’s girlfriend told TMZ, “He is in critical condition, but his condition is improving slightly and we are cautiously optimistic.”
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On March 24, legendary singer Jackson Browne announced that he donated $1 million to Massachusetts General Hospital to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The following day, he announced that he had been ill for a few weeks after contracting the coronavirus. “As soon as I had a small cough and a temperature, I tested [for COVID-19],” he told Rolling Stone. “My symptoms are really pretty mild, so I don’t require any kind of medication and certainly not hospitalization or anything like that.” Jackson is currently at his home in Los Angeles. The singer doesn’t know exactly when he got the virus, but suspects it was during a recent trip to New York for the annual Love Rocks NYC benefit.
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“Do not be alarmed. I’m okay.” That was the message Broadway star Laura Bell Bundy had for her fans on March 25 when she revealed that she’d tested positive for COVID-19. The actress said her symptoms were mild and noted that she initially had a headache, followed by a sore throat, tightness in her chest and an intermittent shortness of breath. “It’s very, very scary,” she said, adding that her husband was also showing symptoms of the coronavirus.
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Former “The Bachelor” star Colton Underwood reveled on March 20 that he tested positive for coronavirus and said it’s “kicking my a**.” The reality TV star and former NFL player said he wanted to curb the myths that coronavirus only affects older people. The 28 year old said he finds himself incredibly fatigued and can’t go up a flight of stairs without getting out of breathe. “I have been following all of the social distancing rules since last week,” he said on Instagram. “For anyone out there that is hesitant to self quarantine… please do yourself and your loved ones a favor and stay home. We will all beat this and come out stronger on the other side.”
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Legendary Spanish singer Plácido Domingo said it was his “moral duty” to announce that he tested positive for the coronavirus. “My Family and I are all in self isolation for as long as it is deemed medically necessary. Currently we are all in good health but I experienced fever and cough symptoms therefore deciding to get tested and the result came back positive,” the 7-time Grammy winner wrote on Facebook on March 22. “I beg everyone to be extremely careful, follow the basic guidelines by washing your hands frequently, keeping at least a 6 feet distance from others, doing everything you can to stop the virus from spreading and please above all stay home if you can ! Together we can fight this virus and stop the current worldwide crisis, so we can hopefully return to our normal daily lives very soon. Please follow your local government’s guidelines and regulations for staying safe and protecting not just yourselves but our entire community.”
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“Lost” actor Daniel Dae Kim has tested positive for COVID-19 and he’s “ready for a fight.” On March 19, the actor posted a 10-minute video to Instagram in which he detailed his experience, which started with a scratchy throat. Daniel, 51, believes he contracted the virus while filming a new show in New York City. “Today, even though I’m not 100 percent, I’m pretty close,” he said from his home in Hawaii. “Even though I’m smiling and upbeat right now, for several days I was in bed. So for all those out there, especially teenagers and millennials who think this is not serious, please know that it is.”
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On March 13, Idris Elba was tested for coronavirus after realizing he’d been exposed to someone who’d tested positive for COVID-19. On March 16, he announced that he, too, had tested positive. The actor said he had been been self-quarantining and had no symptoms. “This is serious. Now’s the time to really start thinking about social distancing, washing your hands,” he told fans on social media. “Beyond that, there are people out there who aren’t showing symptoms and that can easily spread it … this is real.” A week after Idris announced his positive test, his wife, Sabrina, told Oprah that she, too, tested positive for COVID-19.
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