A day after collapsing onstage in the middle of a comedy set in Nashville, Tenn., American comedian D.L. Hughley announced that he had tested positive for the coronavirus.
Hughley, 57, was performing at the Zanies comedy club on Friday evening for the second night of four when he suddenly fell unconscious in his seat. The incident was captured on video and shared to Twitter by a user who attended the show.
In the video, an assistant can be seen rushing to the comic’s aid, catching him, before he falls to the ground. Hughley was sent to St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville shortly after.
Following a “battery of tests,” Hughley took to his social media channels to update fans on Saturday. He said he was being treated for “extreme exhaustion and dehydration” before he found out that he had contracted COVID-19.
“I tested positive for COVID-19, which blew me away,” Hughley said in a two-minute video message.
It’s currently unclear his diagnosis had anything to do with his exhaustion.
In his update, the former The Hughley‘s star revealed that he “still” hadn’t exhibited any of the common symptoms associated with COVID-19.
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“I was asymptomatic,” he said. “I didn’t have flu-like symptoms, shortness of breath, I didn’t have difficulty breathing, I didn’t have a cough, I didn’t have a low-grade fever … I still don’t have a fever.
“I didn’t have a loss of smell or taste. Apparently, I just lost consciousness.”
Fatigue, however, is listed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a symptom of the life-threatening virus.
Hughley thanked his fans and comedian friends for their well wishes, adding that he was planning on staying in his Nashville hotel room to self-isolate for 14 days.
“If your a— passes out in the middle of a show, on stage, you probably need to get tested,” he joked, towards the end of the video.
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Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.
In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus.
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— With files from the Associated Press
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