Justin Long and his brother think they have coronavirus but can't get tested
Justin Long believes he and his brother have contracted COVID-19 but they have not been able to get tested.
On the Tuesday episode of his podcast Life Is Short with Justin Long, the actor said he and his brother Christian contracted coronavirus after the latter's girlfriend returned from a work trip.
"We should tell everyone that you actually have corona. You think you do. I might have it as well,” Long said.
“I do have it. We’re not just being paranoid," his brother responded.
After returning from a work trip, Christian's girlfriend Maggie developed a fever and dry cough, "all the things that they're saying people have with COVID," Long noted.
Fortunately, Christian said she's feeling better after 12 days of recovery and her fever is gone.
“The weird thing is, the day after she came down with symptoms, a couple of weeks ago, Justin and I came down with very mild versions of the exact same symptoms,” Christian said.
They felt "achiness, some nausea, headaches, and then the tightness in the chests." Long added, "But then the strangest thing happened, which we then read was typical of this disease ... Maggie and Christian lost their sense of taste and smell."
The brothers weren't able to get tested as they weren't considered "high-enough risk."
“As many of you know, you have to be in a high-risk group, which is older people and people with compromised immune systems, or it has to be severe enough in your system,” he explained.
They are both still taking precautions and quarantining, especially since their parents are in their 70s and 80s.
The list of public figures with coronavirus has grown in the past few weeks, with Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson, Idris Elba, Kevin Durant, and CNN anchor Chris Cuomo among those who've tested positive. Recently, Hanks and Wilson were able to return to Los Angeles after self-quarantining in Australia.
Like Long, other stars such as Dancing With the Stars champion Nyle DiMarco and Broadway's Gavin Creel said they believed they have coronavirus but weren't formally tested. DiMarco opted out of getting tested to allow people with more severe symptoms to do so.
For the latest information on coronavirus (COVID-19), including how to protect yourself and what to do if you think you are sick, please visit coronavirus.gov.
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