Tom Hanks Gives Update 2 Weeks After First Coronavirus Symptoms: 'We Feel Better'

Claudia Harmata
·4 min read

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson are feeling better two weeks after first exhibiting symptoms of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

On Sunday, the Academy Award-winning actor shared a statement on Twitter, updating his fans on their health after testing positive for the virus earlier this month.

“Hey, folks. Two weeks after our first symptoms and we feel better,” Hanks wrote in a joint statement with his wife. The couple then urged their fans and followers to stay home and self isolate, reminding people that it was the most effective way to avoid the virus, as well as help stop the spread.

“Sheltering in place works like this: You don’t give it to anyone — You don’t get it from anyone. Common sense, no?” he wrote. “Going to take awhile, but if we take care of each other, help where we can, and give up some comforts… this, too, shall pass. We can figure this out.”

Hanks and Wilson, both 63, were among the first high profile celebrities to reveal that they had contracted the coronavirus.

The Forrest Gump actor and his wife had been on Australia’s Gold Coast for the pre-production of Baz Luhrmann’s untitled Elvis Presley biopic, in which Hanks plays the music icon’s longtime manager Colonel Tom Parker.

Filming for the movie has been halted following his diagnosis. Hanks is the only person on set believed to have tested positive for the virus, according to a representative from the film in Australia.

RELATED: Rita Wilson Raps Naughty by Nature’s ‘Hip Hop Hooray’ in ‘Quarantine Stir Crazy’ Video

On Thursday, a rep for Hanks told PEOPLE that the famous couple is “doing very well” under quarantine at their home in Australia after being released from a Queensland hospital on March 16.

“Tom and Rita are doing very well and continue to recover,” Hanks’ rep, Leslee Dart, said. “Their recovery is very much on course for healthy adults with this virus. They are feeling better each day.”

Over the weekend, Wilson shared her own update on social media, uploading an Instagram video of herself impressively rapping Naughty By Nature’s “Hip Hop Hooray.”

At the beginning of the video, which she posted on Saturday, Wilson can be seen reading Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game when the hit song comes on. Soon after, the actress starts belting out the lyrics.

As the song ends, Wilson returns to reading and nods her head at the camera. “Quarantine Stir Crazy. See it to believe it,” the actress captioned the video.

Hanks announced on March 11 that he and Wilson had contracted COVID-19. Since then, many other stars have come forward with confirmed cases of coronavirus, including Daniel Dae Kim, Colton Underwood, Idris Elba, and Debi Mazar.

RELATED: Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson ‘Are Feeling Better Every Day’ as They Quarantine at Home in Australia

Throughout their recovery, Hanks has shared several updates about the couple’s health. One day after testing positive for the virus, the actor shared an update, telling fans that they were “taking it one-day-at-a-time.”

View this post on Instagram

Hello folks. @ritawilson and I want to thank everyone here Down Under who are taking such good care of us. 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. We are taking it one-day-at-a-time. There are things we can all do to get through this by following the advice of experts and taking care of ourselves and each other, no? Remember, despite all the current events, there is no crying in baseball. Hanx

A post shared by Tom Hanks (@tomhanks) on Mar 12, 2020 at 7:08pm PDT

“There are things we can all do to get through this by following the advice of experts and taking care of ourselves and each other, no? Remember, despite all the current events, there is no crying in baseball,” he wrote, referencing his famous line in the film classic A League of Their Own.

Hanks shared another update on the one week mark of his and Wilson’s first COVID-19 symptoms, noting that their condition was “much the same.”

“Hey folks. Good News: One week after testing Positive, in self-isolation, the symptoms are much the same. No fever but the blahs,” Hanks wrote on both Twitter and Instagram at the time. “Folding the laundry and doing the dishes leads to a nap on the couch. Bad news: My wife @ritawilson has won 6 straight hands of Gin Rummy and leads by 201 points.”

As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments and visit our coronavirus hub.