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Antonio Banderas Tests Positive for Coronavirus


Tue 11 Aug 2020 | 08:59 AM
Yara Sameh

One of Spain’s most adored actors, Antonio Banderas has tested positive for coronavirus. The actor announced the news on Monday via Instagram, which also coincides with his 60th birthday.

He posted a photo of himself as a young child and captioned the post in Spanish, saying: "Greetings to all. I want to make public that today, August 10, I am forced to celebrate my 60th birthday following quarantine, having tested positive with COVID-19 disease,"

Banderas continued: "I would like to add that I feel relatively well, just a little more tired than usual and confident that I will recover as soon as possible following the medical indications that I hope will allow me to overcome the infectious process that I suffer and that is affecting so many people around the planet,"

"I will take advantage of this isolation to read, write, rest, and continue making plans to begin to give meaning to my 60th year to which I arrive full of enthusiasm. A big hug to everyone." he concluded.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDtWLIGKsje/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Banderas is the latest celebrity to reveal that he has tested positive with the virus. Last week, American actress Alyssa Milano, best known for her role in 90s tv show "Charmed", took to social media to reveal that after several negative tests she tested positive for Covid-19 antibodies.

He began his acting career with a series of movies by director Pedro Almodóvar in the 1980s and then starred in several Hollywood movies, such as "Philadelphia" (1993), "Interview with the Vampire" (1994), "Desperado" (1995), "Assassins" (1995), and "The Mask of Zorro" (1998).

The actor also starred in the "Spy Kids" trilogy and did the voice of" Puss in Boots" in the Shrek franchise as well as its spin-off film "Puss in Boots".

In 2003, Banderas made his US theatre debut as Guido Contini in "Nine", which earned him a Drama Desk Award, and a Tony Award nomination.

[caption id="attachment_107129" align="aligncenter" width="620"]Antonio Banderas Antonio Banderas[/caption]

It is worth mentioning that the novel coronavirus was first reported in Wuhan, China, and has infected more than one million people and killed over 234,139 worldwide. It also hit several celebrities and top political figures around the world.

The virus is a new member of the Coronaviruses group, which was never identified in humans. The viruses’ family also includes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV), which cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases.

Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people. Humans and animals such as mammals and birds can be affected by the disease.

The name coronavirus is derived from the Latin corona, meaning “crown” or “halo”.

On February 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the official name for the disease caused by the new coronavirus is Covid-19, taken from the words “corona”, “virus”, and “disease”.

In December 2019, an outbreak was reported in Wuhan, China. On 31 December 2019, the outbreak was traced to a novel strain of coronavirus, which was given the interim name 2019-nCoV by WHO, it was later renamed SARS-CoV-2 by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses.

On March 11, WHO declared coronavirus a global pandemic as the new virus has rapidly spread to more than 800,000 people from Asia to the Middle East, Europe, and the United States.

Transmission of viruses between humans happens when someone comes into contact with an infected person’s secretions, such as droplets in a cough.

Coronavirus can also be transmitted by coming into contact with something an infected person has touched and then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes.

It is known that older people appear to be more vulnerable to the effects of the emerging virus.

The virus caused complete paralysis in all activities and events with large gatherings worldwide due to concerns over the spread of the virus.

People across the globe partake in self-isolation for 14 days as an effective precautionary measure to protect those around them and themselves from contracting COVID-19.