British actor Idris Elba has announced he has been diagnosed with coronavirus.
“This morning I tested positive for COVID-19,” the Dark Tower actor announced via his Twitter page on Monday March 16th.
“I feel OK, I have no symptoms so far but have been isolated since I found out about my possible exposure to the virus. Stay home people and be pragmatic. I will keep you updated on how I’m doing. No panic.”
The much-loved performer also shared a video alongside his wife Sabrina Dhowre, revealing she hadn’t been tested yet.
“It came back positive, yeah, and it sucks. I’m doing okay. Sabrina hasn’t been tested and she’d doing okay. I didn’t have any symptoms. I got tested because I realised I was exposed to someone who also tested positive. I found out last Friday that they tested positive, I quarantined myself immediately and got a test immediately and got the results back today. It’s serious,” he explained.
Idris Elba, pictured with his wife, says he is feeling OK and not presenting with any symptoms.
(Image: Getty)Idris used the opportunity to remind people to practice good hygiene and social distancing to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“Now’s the time to think about social distancing, washing your hands. There are people out there who aren’t showing symptoms who could easily spread it. So now’s a real time to be real vigilant about washing your hands and keeping your distance,” he said.
“We told our families, they’re very supportive. We’ve told our colleagues. Transparency is the best thing. If you’re feeling ill or feel like you’re been exposed, do something about it.”
Elba capped off his message calling for the world to unite as we face months of uncertainty with the coronavirus pandemic.
“Look, we live in a divided world right now, we can all feel it, it’s been bulls–t,” he added.
“Now’s the time for solidarity. Now’s the time for thinking about each other. There are so many people whose lives have been affected, from people who’ve lost somebody they love to people who don’t even have it and have lost their livelihoods. This is real.”
“Now’s the time for solidarity. Now’s the time for thinking about each other.”
(Image: Getty)What is coronavirus?
Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that can infect the respiratory tract and cause symptoms like a runny nose, cough, sore throat, and fever.
According to the World Health Organisation, “Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).”
At the end of 2019, a new type of coronavirus called COVID-19 began to make people sick in China. This virus came from animals and moved to people. It causes fever, cough, and trouble breathing.
It can be particularly dangerous to people over 70, anyone with a long-term preexisting medical condition, pregnant women and people with a weakened immune system.
