Anna Camp is opening up about testing positive and batting the novel coronavirus.
Taking to social media on Tuesday, the Pitch Perfect actress shared that she was “extremely sick for over three weeks” and still has “lingering symptoms” despite now testing negative for COVID
“I was incredibly safe. I wore a mask. I used hand sanitizer. One time, when the world was starting to open up, I decided to forgo wearing my mask. One. Time. And I ended up getting it,” she wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of herself wearing a mask.
She went on to explain that though people believe that having COVID-19 is “like having the flu,” she begs to differ. “I’ve had the flu, and this is absolutely not that,” she wrote, adding that there’s a deeper fear that comes with COVID-19.
“The panic of contracting a virus that is basically untreatable and is so new that no one knows the long term irreparable damage it does to your immune system is unbelievably stressful. Completely losing my sense of smell and taste without knowing when or even if they will return is extremely disorienting,” she added.
The 37-year-old actress further revealed that currently she’s “only smelling about 30 percent” of how she used to and other “persistent symptoms” she’s continuing to face a month after being diagnosed include “dizziness, extreme fatigue, impacted sinuses, upset stomach, nausea, vomiting, and fever.”
“I’m lucky. Because I didn’t die. But people are. Please wear ur mask. It can happen any time. And it can happen to anyone,” Camp emphasized.
Acknowledging that though she felt “safe” at one point, everyone can “make a difference” by wearing a mask. “Wearing a mask is saving lives. Thank you to everyone who reached out to check on me during this scary time,” she said. “Please be safe out there. Let’s all do our part and wear a mask. I don’t want any of you to go through what I did. Even though it’s a little thing, it can have a huge impact, and it’s so incredibly easy to do.”
Camp joins stars Idris Elba, Olga Kurylenko and Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson, Bachelor star Colton Underwood and more who have announced that they also tested positive for COVID-19.
This article originally appeared in THR.com.
