Tom Hanks Opens Up About Rita Wilson’s “Tougher” Battle With Coronavirus Symptoms
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, both 63, have recovered after being diagnosed with COVID-19 last month. The couple has donated blood to help fuel the development of a novel coronavirus vaccine.
Wilson and Hanks opened up about the notable differences in their symptoms.
Wilson also recounted experiencing “extreme side effects” from chloroquine, a controversial drug being used in certain COVID-19 cases.
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, both 63, have both recovered after being diagnosed with COVID-19 last month, and the couple is opening up about what their coronavirus symptoms were like.
When Hanks and Wilson announced that they had tested positive for COVID-19 in mid-March, their diagnosis sent shockwaves across the internet. It was one of the first major stories of the global coronavirus crisis, proving that anyone—even two beloved actors—could fall ill with the respiratory illness.
But they’re using their harrowing experience for good. In an interview with CBS This Morning’s Gayle King, Wilson said that the couple is “waiting to hear back to see if our antibodies will be helpful in creation of a vaccine.” Wilson also hopes that she and her husband can donate plasma, too.
The actors were exposed to COVID-19 from a fellow crew member while filming an Elvis Presley biopic in Australia. In a statement at the time, Hanks wrote that he and Wilson “felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches.”
Wilson detailed her symptoms further with King, and said she was “very tired” and “extremely achy—uncomfortable, didn’t want to be touched.”
“And then, the fevers started,” she said, explaining that hers got close to 102 degrees. “Chills like I’ve never had before. Looking back, I also realize I was losing my sense of taste and smell, which I didn’t realize at the time.”
A post shared by Tom Hanks (@tomhanks) on Mar 12, 2020 at 7:08pm PDT
Hanks, on the other hand, had “milder symptoms,” Wilson said, “but it still took us the same time to get through it.”
Hanks told The National Defense Radio Show that he felt “wiped after 12 minutes [of exercising],” but emphasized that his wife had the worst of it. “Rita went through a tougher time than I did,” Hanks said. “She had a much higher fever and she had some other symptoms. She lost her sense of taste and smell. She got absolutely no joy from food for a better part of three weeks ... She was so nauseous she had to crawl on the floor from the bed to the facilities.”
In her interview with King, Wilson recounted experiencing “extreme side effects” from chloroquine, a controversial antimalarial drug that some experts believe can be effective in COVID-19. Others say there is not enough evidence to justify its use and that it comes with dangerous side effects, per a recent report in The Lancet. Chloroquine’s efficacy in treating COVID-19 is currently being studied by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
After taking it, Wilson says she became “completely nauseous” and experienced vertigo and muscle weakness. “We have to be very considerate about this drug,” she said in the interview. “We don’t know if it’s safe in this case.”
Now, the actors are just two of the many coronavirus survivors who are now donating their blood to develop a vaccine. According to the Associated Press, patients in Houston and New York were among the first to donate their blood to the effort, and thousands more donations could soon follow. Anthony Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has said he expects a vaccine to be ready in a very aggressive timeline—12 to 18 months from now.
In the meantime, scientists are racing to develop and distribute antibody tests, which will help public health officials determine who may have had a past infection without a confirmed diagnosis—a step that could help determine how widespread the virus really is.
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