Actor Daniel Dae Kim has confirmed that he has been diagnosed with COVID-19, sharing the news on social media on Thursday, March 19.
“Ready for a fight? I am,” the Hawaii Five-0 alum tweeted. “Yesterday I was diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the #coronavirus. I posted something on my Instagram page if you’d like to hear a little about my experience.” He used Instagram to upload a video of himself updating fans on his diagnosis, sharing that he was recording from his home in Hawaii, where he had been since last Sunday. “I wanted to let you know that yesterday I tested positive for COVID-19,” he said, telling fans that he had been filming in New York for the past several weeks.
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Kim added that he was asymptomatic “during all of this time” but noticed some “scratchiness” in his throat when he landed in Hawaii. He quarantined himself in one room when he arrived home, but began feeling tightness in his chest that night along with body aches and a high temperature. His doctor recommended that he get tested, and the test came back positive.
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“Looks like I’ll be ok, but I wanted share my journey with you in the hopes that you find it informative or helpful,” the 51-year-old captioned the clip. “Hope you all stay safe, calm, and above all, healthy.”
Kim joins a number of celebrities who have tested positive for the virus including Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Idris Elba and NBA star Kevin Durant. Star Advertiser reports that Kim is one of 16 confirmed cases in Hawaii.
Earlier this week, the actor tweeted about his perceived silence in the face of discrimination against Asian Americans as a result of the virus, which saw its first cases in Wuhan, China.
“People have been asking me why I’ve been silent in the face of the blatant acts of racism against Asian people during this outbreak. The truth is there have been so many it’s been too heartbreaking to comment on all of them,” Kim wrote on Sunday. “It should go without saying how abhorrent and subhuman this behavior is. Unfortunately in this political climate, it still requires mentioning.
“And though we keep doing our best to demonize each other, the #coronavirus doesn’t care what race, gender, religion or sexuality we are,” he added. “Ironically, it knows better than we do a lesson I wish we could all learn, once and for all: that we are all human. We are all one.”
Photo Credit: Getty / Rich Polk
