Kelly Price says she almost died from Covid – and was never missing – The Guardian

The Grammy-nominated R&B and gospel singer Kelly Price has said she almost died from Covid-19 – and was never missing, as family members feared.

Price announced her Covid diagnosis in July. According to the website TMZ, family members said the singer was rushed to hospital about a week later.

This month, Price became the subject of a missing person’s report, confirmed by authorities in Cobb county, Georgia, after last being seen at a police wellness check at her home on 18 September. Her sister spoke about her family’s worry and asked Price to make contact.

This week Price’s attorney, Monica Ewing, told NBC News Price was never missing, but recovering from Covid after being released from hospital.

“People were definitely seeing me,” Price told TMZ. “The people that could actually say something are not allowed to because of HIPAA law.”

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act protects patient privacy.

Price said the virus had significantly affected her health.

“At some point, they lost me,” she said, adding that she “died”.

“I woke up some days later, a couple days later, and the first thing I remember is the team of doctors standing around me and asking me if I knew what year it was.”

Price also spoke about her experience with long-term coronavirus symptoms including extreme fatigue, a racing heart and brain fog.

She would not perform until she was fully recovered, she said, adding: “I feel like the only way I can focus on me is to actually focus on me.”

On Monday, Price shared a message of gratitude to her Instagram followers, her first post since her Covid diagnosis.

“Thank you for your love, concern and prayers,” she wrote. “I truly appreciate them and all of you who sincerely did them. They are not lost on me. I promise. I’m going back into solace and silence where I can put first things first and that is to be restored to be healthy and to be whole.”

Ewing said Price would not release any more statements until she was farther along in her recovery.