The actor says he was ‘motivated’ by Tom Hanks to speak up.
WhenIdris Elbawasdiagnosed with coronavirus, he thought, “This is it.
This is how we kick it.”
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images
But the 47-year-old turned those fears into optimism.
“I’m really proud of Tom Hanks who’s also someone in the public eye… We at one point we were [thinking], ‘Our lives are over.
And now we definitely want to be vocal and transparent.”
On Friday, March 13, he was informed of this person’s diagnosis.
While “on location about to start a film,” Elba was provided a test.
He then self-quarantined himself inside his “house on location” while awaiting the results.
“My temperature is fine.
I don’t have a fever,” he said.
“I have asthma, so I fit in the high category of most at risk.
I don’t feel any restriction within my breathing or my lungs.”
He assured his fans that he’s not on medication because there’s nothing currently to medicate.
Though, on his doctor’s suggestion, he’s drinking a lot of fluids specifically hot water.
He specifically called out a myth he saw spreading online that suggested black people can’t contract COVID-19.
Wherever we are, you could get it."
Elba also acknowledged how “lucky” he and Sabrina were to have received the coronavirus test.
“We are supremely aware that not many people can get tests,” he said.
“This disease doesn’t see any borders and doesn’t discriminate,” he said.
“So, I think that’s really important that we take a moment.”
