Daniel Radcliffe has addressed a fake online report that circulated earlier this week claiming he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
The hoax originated from a fake BBC news account called @BBCNewsTonight, which tweeted: “BREAKING: Daniel Radcliffe tests positive for coronavirus. The actor is said to be the first famous person to be publicly confirmed.”
“I walked into the hair and makeup room on the play yesterday, and the makeup artist was like, ‘My niece has just texted me and told me you’ve got corona,’” the Harry Potter actor said in a phone interview with Australian radio show Smallzy’s Surgery.
“I was like, ‘What?’” the star continued. “He showed me a tweet, and it was like, ‘Daniel Radcliffe becomes the first famous person to contract coronavirus.’
“I think it’s just because I look ill all the time so you can believably say it about me ’cause I’m very pale. That’s the internet. Flattered they chose me,” Radcliffe joked.
As the novel coronavirus continues to spread, many celebrities have been reacting to the outbreak over social media.
Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, gave fans an update on their health after testing positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
On Thursday, Hanks, 63, shared a photo of himself and Wilson, 63, in quarantine in Australia.
“Hello folks. @ritawilson and I want to thank everyone here Down Under who are taking such good care of us. We have COVID-19 and are in isolation so we do not spread it to anyone else,” he captioned the photo.
“There are those for whom it could lead to a very serious illness. We are taking it one-day-at-a-time [sic],” the actor continued. “There are things we can all do to get through this by following the advice of experts and taking care of ourselves and each other, no?
“Remember, despite all the current events, there is no crying in baseball,” Hanks wrote, referencing a line from his movie A League of Their Own.
Supermodel Naomi Campbell, who was an advocate of germ-free travelling before the novel coronavirus hit, posted photos to Instagram of her boarding a plane in some gear.
The 49-year-old actor posted images of herself at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday wearing a hazmat suit, a pair of pink latex gloves, goggles and a face mask.
For most people, COVID-19 causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.
The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.
— With files from the Associated Press
© 2020 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
