Zoey Deutch 'lucky to be healthy' after battling coronavirus for a month, pleads for people to wear masks

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In an impassioned plea for people to wear masks in public, Zoey Deutch revealed that she battled the coronavirus for more than a month.

“The Politician” actress penned a lengthy essay for Vulture in which she described how she’s been using cooking, TV and video games to pass the time while isolating due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, she opened the post by revealing that she recently got healthy after testing positive for the virus for a month.

“I had the coronavirus early on, before the shutdown, and a group of my friends also got it. People keep asking me, ‘Where did you get it?’ and I wish I knew. I feel like I could have spoken in a more eloquent way about my experience had I known,” she wrote. “I continued testing positive for a month, which is longer than they’re saying you’re supposed to. I’m okay now. I’m so grateful for my health and I also feel guilty, in a way, for making it out okay.”

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She went on to thank her own “neuroses” for causing her to stay inside before stay-at-home orders were put in place. She explained that the ordeal of catching the virus alongside several of her friends gave her a clear picture of just how diverse people’s experience with COVID-19 can be. As a result, she called on readers to abide by the CDC's guidelines and wear masks in public.

“The reason I want to talk about it now is because it’s so important to wear masks. So many people don’t show symptoms, and my experience was that me and my friends who got it all had such drastically different symptoms,” she explained. “I had a sore throat and felt totally delirious, like I was losing my mind. It was different than the normal ‘me feeling like I’m losing my mind.’ One of my friends only lost taste and smell. One went to the hospital with the ‘normal’ symptoms, but another friend had absolutely no symptoms at all. I stayed inside for almost two months, and I still very minimally go out, with a mask.”

The 25-year-old star added: “I hate to sound like I’m trying to be preachy, but it’s so important to wear a mask when you go out, even if you think you’re okay and think you don’t have it or think it’s allergies. You just don’t know if you have it or not.”

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic people can still transmit COVID-19 to others. As a result, it recommends wearing a face covering at all times in public in order for people who may be unaware that they have the coronavirus to avoid transmitting it to someone that could show more dangerous symptoms.

Actress Zoey Deutch revealed that she's recovered after battling the coronavirus for a month. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images)

As of Wednesday morning, the novel coronavirus has infected more than 4,913,761 people across 188 countries and territories, resulting in over 323,637 deaths. In the U.S., all 50 states plus the District of Columbia have reported confirmed cases of COVID-19, tallying over 1,528,661 illnesses and at least 91,938 deaths.

Deutch concluded her statement about her COVID-19 experience by noting that, although she wants to do more to help people during this time, she knows that she now poses a risk of transmitting what she had to others.

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“I really want to be able to donate blood and get groceries for people who haven’t had it and be more of service than I have been able to,” she explained. “I am so lucky to be healthy, that I’m safe and not immunocompromised and have access to doctors; I am incredibly privileged. But not everyone shares that privilege — so we need to be extra careful for those who don’t by wearing masks.”