Idris Elba said testing positive for coronavirus has left him feeling “worried” because of his asthma but that he is currently “feeling OK”.
The actor said in a live broadcast on social media that because he suffers from a “respiratory issue” and has had asthma all of his life, he fits “into the high category of most at risk”.
Catching Covid-19 was “definitely not on my bucket list at all”, he said.
— Idris Elba (@idriselba) March 17, 2020
Elba, 47, added: “Of course I’m worried. I’m worried about having the virus, I’m worried about having asthma and how that could make things really complicated for me really quickly.”
The star of BBC drama Luther announced on Twitter on Monday that he is self-isolating after testing positive for the virus.
He said that he is self-isolating along with his wife Sabrina Dhowre and that he has been keeping busy by making music and playing video games.
Elba added that he wanted to help stop the spread of misinformation about the virus, saying: “I’m just telling you guys, stop sending the conspiracy theory nonsense about black people being unable to get coronavirus.”
He added: “I’m worried that people aren’t talking to each other about it.
“I’m worried that people are going to stigmatise other people. I’m worried that we are going to panic and send the whole world into a spin.”
His decision to speak about the illness was inspired by fellow actor Tom Hanks, who has also tested positive for coronavirus.
The Hollywood actor and his wife Rita Wilson announced last week they had tested positive while in Australia on pre-production for an Elvis Presley biopic he will star in.
Hanks’s publicist said on Monday the couple had been discharged from hospital, with Hanks saying he and Wilson, both 63, would remain in isolation in a rented house.