Betty White Breaks Her Silence Amid Fan Concern for Her Due to Coronavirus Outbreak

As the coronavirus began a rapid spread in the United States this week, people on Twitter began [...]

By Hannah Barnes

As the coronavirus began a rapid spread in the United States this week, people on Twitter began sharing their concern for their favorite older celebrities, as the virus is most dangerous for those who are elderly or have underlying health conditions. This meant that there were a whole lot of people online expressing concern for Betty White, who is 98 years old.

So many people were tweeting about White that her name began trending, prompting other people who didn't know why her name was trending to have some minor freakouts.

To quell the internet's collective fears, White's representative released a brief statement to Today that read, simply, "Betty is fine."

As of Friday morning, the virus had over 1,600 confirmed cases in the United States and numerous concerts, festivals, sporting events and more have been postponed or outright cancelled in an attempt to quell the spread of the disease. To help do so, it's recommended to wash your hands, avoid touching your face, practice social distancing and, of course, stay home if you feel sick.

The first Hollywood case of the coronavirus was Tom Hanks, who revealed this week that he and wife Rita Wilson had both tested positive for the disease.

"Hello, folks. [Rita Wilson] and I are down here 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," he wrote on Instagram. "To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the Coronavirus, and were found to be positive."

"Well, now. What to do next? The Medical Officials have protocols that must be followed. We Hanks' will be tested, observed, and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires. Not much more to it than a one-day-at-a-time approach, no? We'll keep the world posted and updated. Take care of yourselves!"

Photo Credit: Getty / Vincent Sandoval

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