‘Good Doctor’ Star Richard Schiff Offers Word of Warning Following Coronavirus Battle

The Good Doctor star Richard Schiff is warning everyone to take the COVID-19 pandemic seriously. His words come amidst his own battle with the illness, as previously reported via his official Instagram. Both Schiff and his co-star/wife, Sheila Kelley, tested positive for COVID-19 in early November while in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada filming the fourth season of The Good Doctor.

Schiff took part in an interview with MSNBC in which he opened up about his battle with respiratory illness, sharing a warning for others in the process. “It’s scarier than you’ve read and scarier than you’ve heard. You don’t want this,” he said. During his battle with the illness, the actor ended up hospitalized. “The conversation that I had to have with Sheila because it didn’t look good for a day or two is a conversation you don’t want to have with anyone ever. I can’t stress enough. This thing will debilitate you.”

While Schiff was in the hospital, he was given supplemental oxygen. “It gets into your system and it feels like wherever you think you can get a breath in, it’s going to go there and that’s where the cough is going to go…” he recalled. “It wants to stop you from breathing.” On Nov. 10, Schiff shared on Twitter that he and his wife tested positive for COVID-19 on election day, Nov. 3. They subsequently went on one of the “most bizarre” weeks of their lives, as he continued to write.

“This is tough,” Schiff added. “We are determined to find a way to health again. We root for everyone out there who are struggling with this thing. Love from here.” The Good Doctor‘s production schedule has since been adjusted so that there is no delay. In mid-November, it was reported that Schiff was hospitalized amidst his battle with the illness. However, the actor still made sure to keep fans updated about his progress on social media during his recovery.

On Nov. 16, Schiff wrote on Twitter that both he and Kelley were doing better. In particular, he wrote that he was doing well after receiving various medications to help him as he battles COVID-19. He wrote, “Thank you all for so much love and support. You’re making it so much easier for [Sheila Kelley] and me. I am in the hospital on Remdesivir, O2 and steroids showing some improvement every day. Sheila is home and doing better but still fairly ill. Love you all.”