Reba McEntire Says She and Boyfriend Rex Linn Caught COVID Despite Being Vaccinated: 'Stay Safe'

ABC via Getty Reba McEntire and Rex Linn

Reba McEntire is making a plea to fans to take precautionary measures and practice social distancing after contracting COVID-19.

The country music star, 66, opened up about her experience with COVID-19 during a recent livestream on TikTok, sharing that she and her boyfriend, CSI: Miami actor Rex Linn, both caught the respiratory virus despite being vaccinated.

"I just want to say one thing: this has been a hard year and it's getting rougher again," she said, referring to the ongoing pandemic. "You guys, please stay safe. Wear your mask. Do what you have to do. Stay home."

"It's not fun to get this. I did get it. Rex and I got it and it's not fun. You don't feel good," McEntire continued. "We were both vaccinated and we still got it, so stay safe, stay home, and be protected the best you can."

Reba McEntire/Instagram Reba McEntire and boyfriend Rex Linn

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Breakthrough cases — COVID-19 infections that occur in people who have been fully vaccinated against the virus — are rare, but possible and expected, as the vaccines are not 100 percent effective in preventing infections. Still, vaccinated people who test positive will likely be asymptomatic or experience a far milder illness than if they were not vaccinated. The majority of deaths from COVID-19, around 98 to 99 percent, are in unvaccinated people.

During the livestream, McEntire also touched on how the surge in COVID-19 cases across the country may affect her coming live shows.

"I have no idea what plans for next year are. You know, the COVID thing has really hit hard and spikes are going everywhere right now ... and it's all over the country — this new variant," she explained. "We have plans right now to go back on tour in January, February and March. We have plans with being with Brooks & Dunn at Caesars in December — the first two weeks, almost three weeks of December — but we don't know if that's going to go."

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"We're just gonna move forward, keep praying that everybody stays safe and healthy, and wear your mask and just be safe," McEntire added.

COVID-19 cases had been on the decline as Americans got vaccinated, dipping down to around 11,000 a day in early June. But as the delta variant became the dominant strain in the U.S., cases again soared back to levels not seen since February, when the vaccines were not readily available to all Americans. The biggest increase in cases have been in southern states like Louisiana, Missouri, Arkansas and Florida, all of which have some of the lowest vaccination rates in the country.

As of Friday, 49.9 percent (165.6 million) of the United States populace is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), while 58.2 percent (193.1 million) have received at least one dose.

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