Alyssa Milano revealed that she has tested positive for coronavirus antibodies.
The “Charmed” actress, 47, shared her test results on Instagram Wednesday. Milano said her positive antibody results came after she previously received three false negatives, despite experiencing “basically every Covid symptom” in late March.
“This was me on April 2nd after being sick for 2 weeks,” Milano captioned a photo of herself wearing an oxygen mask. “I had never been this kind of sick. Everything hurt. Loss of smell. It felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t keep food in me. I lost 9 pounds in 2 weeks. I was confused. Low grade fever. And the headaches were horrible.”
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Milano said her symptoms prompted her to take two COVID-19 swab tests at the end of March and “both were negative.” She also took a “covid antibody test (the finger prick test)” that yielded the same result: “NEGATIVE.”
Despite her negative results, Milano said she suffered from lingering symptoms over the next four months, including “vertigo, stomach abnormalities, irregular periods, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, zero short term memory, and general malaise,” which led her to get tested again.
“I went and got an antibody test from a blood draw (not the finger prick) from a lab,” she added. “I am POSITIVE for covid antibodies. I had Covid19.”
Antibody tests check antibodies in your blood to see if you were previously exposed to the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The federal agency says “a positive test result shows you have antibodies that likely resulted from an infection with SARS-CoV-2,” the virus that causes COVID-19.
The actress continued: “I just want you to be aware that our testing system is flawed and we don’t know the real numbers.”
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Milano said she’s donating plasma to help the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and to possibly “save a life.” The activist also encouraged her followers to take the virus seriously.
“This illness is not a hoax. I thought I was dying. It felt like I was dying,” she wrote. “Please take care of yourselves. Please wash your hands and wear a mask and social distance. I don’t want anyone to feel the way I felt. Be well. I love you all (well, maybe not the trolls. Just the kind people.)”
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