By now, we’re all aware that COVID-19 is a respiratory virus that usually starts with a fever, sore throat and cough. However, contracting coronavirus also leads to a bevy of different side effects including hair loss. Actress Alyssa Milano recently took to social media to explain the impact her COVID-19 diagnosis has had on her health – and hair.
“I just wanted to show you the amount of hair that’s coming out of my head as a result of COVID,” she said in an Instagram video posted four months after she was infected.
“One brushing, this is my hair loss from COVID-19,” she said, holding up a clump of hair to the camera. “Wear a damn mask.”
Unfortunately, hair loss and flu-like symptoms aren’t the only side effects of coronavirus. Last week, Milano revealed that she was experiencing “weight loss, vertigo, stomach abnormalities, irregular periods, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, zero short term memory, and general malaise.”
“I had never been this kind of sick,” she wrote in the lengthy Instagram post. “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. I basically had every COVID symptom.”
“This illness is not a hoax,” she continued. “I thought I was dying. It felt like I was dying. I will be donating plasma with hopes that I might save a life. 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.”
Milano also mentioned that despite never testing positive for COVID-19 and taking two negative tests, she later took an antibody test that turned out to be positive.
Speaking of celebrities with COVID-19, hear about some of them below:
Unfortunately, the list of potential coronavirus symptoms continues to grow with reports that hiccups could be associated with COVID-19. Yes, hiccups.
A case report published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine showed that a 62-year-old patient wasn’t suffering any usual symptoms of the virus but went to hospital with persistent hiccups.
A scan found “glasslike opacities” in his lungs and subsequent testing yielded a positive result for COVID-19.
While doctors are being encouraged not to dismiss the potential COVID–19 symptom, this, as well as Alyssa Milano’s hair loss, is just another reminder to stay safe, wash your hands, wear a mask, stay home if you’re sick and get tested if you have any of the symptoms listed here.
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