DJ and one half of the legendary rap duo, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Jeff revealed on social media that he is feeling symptoms of coronavirus as he recovers from pneumonia.
In his most recent tweet, he complained about feeling ill for several weeks.
The producer told fans on Instagram to take the virus seriously – although he did not say if he was tested for Covid-19 – and revealed he lost his sense of smell and taste, one of the symptoms of the respiratory illness.
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Scientists—and the rest of us—are learning more each day about COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus that’s been spreading across the globe.
Pneumonia is sometimes on the milder side—meaning that you can still go about at least some of your daily activities, even though you may feel quite sick. This is sometimes called walking pneumonia, because you can walk around.
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In many instances, however, pneumonia is severe, sending people to the hospital, requiring the use of a ventilator, or even leading to death. COVID-19 aside, pneumonia generally sends more than 250,000 people to the hospital and kills about 50,000 each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Bacteria, fungal infections, and viruses such as the coronavirus can all lead to pneumonia, although the way it develops can vary. For instance, viruses can cause pneumonia directly. But in some cases, if a viral respiratory infection is severe enough, it can damage the lungs and leave them vulnerable to a secondary infection: bacterial pneumonia.
We don’t yet know what percentage of people with COVID-19 will go on to develop pneumonia, but we know that some have died as a result.
Writing on his Instagram story, the DJ said: “Pls say a prayer for all the sick… it’s a lot more than you know!!
“I’m recovering from pneumonia in both my lungs…," he continues. "I lost my sense of smell and... taste which is a main sign of the virus. I would NOT be here if not for my guardian angel of a wife! [sic]”
On March 7 said, he wrote on Twitter: “I’ll be happy when I’m home and I can cough freely…LOL.”
But this week, the DJ thanked his fans for the flood of well-wishes.
“I’m good, thank God. I posted yesterday to bring awareness to how serious this is…Pls look out for each other,” he wrote in his Instastories, closing out the commentary with a “Thank you!”
The Fresh Prince star joins a host of celebrities who has contracted coronavirus or reported experiencing the symptoms including actor Idris Elba, rappers Scarface and Slim Thug, and NBA star Kevin Durant.
We haven't heard yet what Will Smith had to say about his longtime friend.
