Actor Tom Hanks and his wife, actress Rita Wilson, appeared to be in good spirits Thursday as they provided an update on their health just one day after announcing that they both tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
In posts shared across his social media pages Thursday night, the Oscar winner projected a sense of calm, telling his several million followers that he and Wilson, both 63, “are taking it one-day-at-a-time.”
— Tom Hanks (@tomhanks) March 13, 2020
“Rita Wilson and I want to thank everyone here Down Under who are taking such good care of us,” Hanks wrote from Queensland, Australia. “We have Covid-19 and are in isolation so we do not spread it to anyone else. There are those for whom it could lead to a very serious illness.”
The brief notice included a photo of the couple dressed casually in T-shirts and baseball caps looking tired but at ease. Hanks and Wilson are being treated at a hospital in Queensland, the Associated Press reported.
Hanks went on to stress the importance of “following the advice of experts and taking care of ourselves and each other” amid the global pandemic that has sickened at least 128,000 people worldwide, causing more than 4,700 deaths.
Even in the face of his serious situation, Hanks concluded the message on a light note.
“Remember, despite all the current events, there is no crying in baseball,” he wrote, quoting one of his most famous lines from the 1992 film “A League of Their Own.”
The good-natured tone of Hanks’ update mirrored the announcement of his diagnosis, which prompted fans to flood social media Wednesday night with prayers and well-wishes for the couple.
On Wednesday, Hanks said he and Wilson had started to feel unwell during their stay in Australia, where the actor is in the preproduction stage of an Elvis Presley biopic.
“We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches,” Hanks wrote. “Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too. To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the Coronavirus, and were found to be positive.”
Hanks and Wilson have been married since 1988, and are the first American celebrities to publicly disclose that they have coronavirus.
Late Thursday, Comedy Central host Trevor Noah joked that when he saw the couple trending on Twitter, he assumed the worst.
“I was so devastated because I thought after 31 years together, they were getting divorced,” Noah said. “And I was like, ‘Oh no,’ and then I clicked on the news and I was like, ‘Oh thank God, they’re getting corona.'”
While Noah’s quips drew raucous laughter from his studio audience, they also caught Wilson’s attention.
“Thank you for the best laugh of the day!!! You’re awesome,” she tweeted, tagging Noah. The host later responded with a cheerful, emoji-laden message of “Get well soon!”
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