Sophia Bush Thought She 'Was Going to Die' Due to Scary Long COVID Symptoms

Sophia Bush opens up about her health in the wake of a scary bout with COVID. On Dec. 1, the One Tree Hill alum posted a personal message on her Instagram Story about the importance of wearing a mask and following public health guidelines in the aftermath of the pandemic.

"Guys... it's wild to me that when I share basic public health protocols — from doctors — people immediately want to jump in with opinions rooted in flat out misinformation," she wrote. Bush went on to discuss the potential harm of COVID, describing her own personal battle with the virus.

Sophia Bush – Wear a MASK! pic.twitter.com/KTtKm6i6ez

— Sue (@inkblue01) December 1, 2023

"COVID is NOT a flu. It's a serious virus that causes incredible damage to the body, and can have lasting, debilitating effects. This summer I had to leave a job for the first time in my entire life because my post-viral syndrome was so bad that I thought I was going to die and my doctors forced me to stop working and actually recuperate."

She continued, "I spent almost three months in and out of hospitals and doctor's offices and specialist clinics in England ans the US (so thankful for my union healthcare here at home @sagaftra) and I'm so lucky I made a full recovery. (I'm now on a medication that I never had to take before, maybe forever, but I'm so f— lucky to be healthy again.)"

She added, "And after that ordeal, it's not lost on me that so many folks around the world who've gotten sick since the pandemic broke out are NOT so lucky."

"People who are immune compromised. Folks who are now chronically ill, post-infection, who may never recover. People who can't work or care for their families. People whose immune systems have been so broken down by this virus that they're getting other illness diagnoses that will change their lives. It's not a joke."

Bush then advocated for mask-wearing as a way to show care and concern for others in the community. "And knowing all of this, you really wanna yell and send wildly rude messages about wearing a f— mask? Miss me with all of that," she wrote. "It's not hard. It's not some huge inconvenience. It's a literal act of BOTH self-preservation and of community care. So if you love your neighbors? Your coworkers? Your families? Maybe...act like it?"

"I think we can all take a breath and be a little kinder to each other," she continued. "It makes a difference. The world is so hard for so many people. There is so much suffering everywhere. And this is something we can all do try and prevent some more of it. If we all tried to make it just a little easier? Safer? A little more gentle and kind? That would be beautiful."

The activist has spoken out about public health issues before. In July 2021, Bush testified on vaccines before the U.S. Congress, arguing that "medicine is not partisan." The activist also stressed the need for vaccine hesitancy to be overcome, especially with the spread of more transmissible strains.