Lauren Alaina ‘Doing Better Now’ After COVID-19 Diagnosis

Lauren Alaina is sharing an update on her health after being diagnosed with COVID-19, telling PEOPLE that she’s on the road to recovery. “I was pretty sick,” she said, revealing that her mild symptoms included shortness of breath and “a horrible headache.”

“But I’m doing better now,” she continued. “I’ve just been at my house quarantining with my puppy.” The 26-year-old explained that she was upset she caught the virus after being so careful with her social interaction over the past year. “I was so frustrated when I got it, because I have taken it so seriously, and I went over a year and didn’t get it, and then I got it,” she explained. “I rarely even go to the grocery store, but it’s a very contagious virus and I picked it up somewhere.” The “Getting Good” singer is now “feeling healthy” while “staying super hydrated,” adding, “I miss people, but I’m getting through it.”

Alaina shared that she was days away from receiving her vaccination when she was diagnosed. “I was going to get it, because I didn’t want to get the virus. But I got it,” she said. “I don’t know. It’s different for everyone. I just want my life back, and it felt like a way for me to get one step closer to that.” One of the things she’s most looking forward to, besides “getting my tail on stage,” is seeing her grandfather. “He’s in a nursing home with progressed Alzheimer’s,” she said. “We’re not sure how much longer we have with him so I just want to go see my papa.”

Alaina first revealed her diagnosis on March 20 when she announced that she would not be able to play an acoustic show in Lexington, Kentucky that evening. “I am so sad to say I will not be at the acoustic show in Lexington, Kentucky tonight,” she said in a statement. “I tested positive for COVID yesterday. I am quarantining and trying to get better! Please know I can’t wait to be back – when it is safe for all of us.”

The Georgia native further discussed her symptoms on her Instagram Story, posting a video of herself on the couch with her dog, Opry. “Thank you for all the well wishes,” she told her followers. “I am resting up and trying to feel a bit better. Some people have it way worse than me — I just have a little bit of shortness of breath, a really bad headache, no taste or smell, pretty bad congestion and I feel pretty tired.”

“But I overall feel like it’s going to be okay,” she concluded, panning the camera to Opry and adding, “and I’ve got this sweet nurse!”