Idris Elba 'worried' his asthma will cause coronavirus complications

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Idris Elba admitted he’s worried about having asthma and being more at risk after announcing to the world that he tested positive for coronavirus.

The 47-year-old actor took to Twitter on Monday to reveal to his followers that he tested positive for COVID-19 after fearing he was exposed to the virus while working. The following day, he streamed live on Twitter, where he gave an update on his health and took questions from Twitter.

“I have asthma, so I sort of fit in the high category of most at risk,” he explained. “I have a respiratory issue, I’ve had asthma all my life so… you know, catching corona was definitely not on my bucket list at all.”

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Fortunately, the actor says he’s not feeling any symptoms yet other than a slight runny nose.

“But even my asthma is OK,” he assured viewers. “I don’t feel any restriction within my breathing or in my lungs.”

Later in the livestream, the “Cats” star confessed that he’s worried about his asthma causing complications further down the line.

Idris Elba confessed that he's worried about his asthma causing complications to his coronavirus diagnosis. (Reuters)

“I’m worried about... having asthma and how that could make things really complicated for me very quickly,” Elba added. “I’m really worried about what’s going on in the world, if I’m honest. I’m really worried about how we’re dealing with it. I think part of me dealing with this and speaking publicly with you guys about this is part of me coping with this worry of how the world is dealing with it.art of speaking with you guys about it, part of me coping about how the world is dealing with it.”

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The star added that he was “moved” by Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson coming forward and demonstrating “transparency” with their fans. He said it inspired him to be honest with his followers and to start an open conversation about how he’s dealing with it.

Elsewhere in the livestream, Elba noted that he received positive feedback for his initial video in which he announced he tested positive. However, he confessed that among the positive feedback and support he got, there were some negative comments as well, but he noted that he and his wife, Sabrina, "felt like it was the right thing to do, to share what we're going through because we ain't the only ones."

People notes, the star has been very open about living with asthma in the past. In 2013, he had to get off a flight when he found he was unable to breathe.

“It was the strangest thing to ever happen to me,” Elba explained in a radio interview about the incident. “I’ve got asthma, I’ve always had asthma. And as soon as I sat on the plane, I suddenly couldn’t breathe. When asthma hits you your lungs, it feels like you’re in a bit of water and you’ve got this much air to breathe in and it keeps creeping up. That’s what asthma feels like… Asthma is one of those things if you’ve had it for a long time, if you don’t panic, you’ll be okay. But it was really shocking for me.”

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Elba is one of several celebrities to contract the novel virus, including Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson and Kristofer Hivju.