60 Minutes ' Lesley Stahl Recovered from COVID-19 After Being Hospitalized: 'I Am Well Now'
Lesley Stahl is detailing her bout with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
On Sunday, the 60 Minutes host, 78, revealed that she recently recovered after testing positive for the respiratory virus. Stahl said she wasn't the only employee at the CBS News program to contract COVID-19, with some coworkers showing no symptoms and others with "almost every symptom you can imagine."
"One of the rules of journalism is 'Don't become part of the story,' but instead of covering the pandemic, I was one of the more than 1 million Americans who did become part of it," she said during the broadcast.
Stahl said she spent two weeks in bed "weak, fighting pneumonia and really scared" before she decided to go to the hospital.
"I found an overworked, nearly overwhelmed staff," she recalled of the hospital. "Every one of them kind, sympathetic, gentle and caring from the moment I arrived until the moment days later when I was wheeled out through a gauntlet of cheering medical workers."
She added: "In the face of so much death, they celebrate their triumphs."
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Jemal Countess/Getty Images Lesley Stahl
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The reporter went on to commend the front line healthcare workers for their bravery amid the pandemic.
"This valiant army in scrubs and masks was not just doing a job; they were fulfilling a mission, answering the call," she said. "Thanks to them, like so many other patients, I am well now. Tonight, we all owe them our gratitude, our admiration — and in some cases, our lives."
Stahl now joins other TV news personalities who have shared their personal experiences with COVID-19, including CNN's Chris Cuomo and ABC's George Stephanopoulos, among others.
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