Fans have been rallying for Greg Rikaart (Kevin Fisher, The Young and the Restless; ex-Leo Stark, Days of our Lives) since he shared on social media a week ago that he had fallen ill. He has been detailing some of the ups and downs of his health condition, and today he revealed that he was able to get tested for COVID-19, and the results came back positive.
"I just tested positive for coronavirus. I am a pretty healthy 43-year-old who doesn't smoke, doesn't drink much, eats well and exercises regularly and this has been the hardest experience of my life," he shares. "Two+ weeks ago, everyone in my house had a bit of a cough and my son came home from school with a high fever. Everyone recovered, but I deteriorated. I isolated from my family and have been in solo quarantine since Saturday the 14th. I had a fever for 11 days, difficulty breathing and was diagnosed with pneumonia."
He continues, "I'm confident that I have finally turned the proverbial corner and am fever free today for the first time since this all started. I was told to stay isolated for another 72 hours before I acclimate back into my family. So, nice try coronavirus, but I have another 4-5 decades worth of experiences to have with these guys."
Rikaart also shares gratitude to everyone for the support he's received this past week, writing, "I want to thank you all for the well wishes and I hope you heed the warnings. Stay safe, stay healthy and stay inside."
Rikaart previously took to social media to share his concerns about not having been able to be tested for COVID-19 when his symptoms first started to appear.
The coronavirus pandemic has affected the daytime community in many ways, including prompting all four daytime dramas to suspend production. The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful are currently in the middle of a two-week hiatus, General Hospital is set to remain dark until early April, and Days of our Lives has stopped filming for the foreseeable future. As Soap Central previously reported, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has announced that the Daytime Emmy Awards will no longer be happening this June.
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