Andrea Bocelli is the latest celebrity to announce that he has tested positive for the coronavirus. He just announced the diagnosis on Facebook but explained that he had actually contracted COVID-19 in March and fully recovered by the end of the month. He didn’t share the news earlier because he did not want to alarm people or breach his family’s privacy.
In his post, Bocelli said he was “fortunate enough” to have a quick bounce back after learning of his diagnosis. He also shared that others in his family received positive tests, “the pandemic which has shaken the world has also affected โ albeit mildly โ me and certain members of my family.” After making a full recovery, Bocelli went on to donate his blood in the fight to discover a cure for COVID-19. He called it a “modest” but also “fundamental” gesture on his part.
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After learning of his fight with the coronavirus, many of his fans flooded his comment section to send their thoughts and prayers his way. “May you have continued good health. Happy to hear you’ve all recovered from this horrid virus,” one user commented. Another wrote, “Sorry to hear that this awful virus affected you and your family, but I am happy to hear that you are all well. It’s a lovely gesture to give blood, and hopefully a vaccine for this can be discovered soon.”
Bocelli joins a long line of celebrities who have received positive tests for the coronavirus. Early on in the pandemic, it was a few high-profile cases that opened the eyes of the country to the severity of the outbreak. This list included Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson, who were among the first A-listers to be diagnosed. This came after the NBA was the first sport to shut things down after one of its players, Utah Jazz big man Rudy Gobert, tested positive before a few others did, as well. Idris Elba was another big name to be diagnosed in the early going and has since recovered. All of these people have since been big advocates in raising awareness.
As of this writing, more than 1.6 million Americans have been knowingly infected with COVID-19. Among those, there are nearly 99,000 deaths. The epicenter of the outbreak has been in the northeast between New York and New Jersey.