This is an archived article and the information in the story may be outdated. Please check the time stamp on the story to see when it was updated last.
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were one of the first celebrity couples to open up about their experiences with Covid-19. The couple contracted the virus in May and tested positive while in Australia, where Hanks was filming a movie about Elvis Presley.
The couple, both 63, has since recovered from the virus, and Hanks has recently started talking more about their experience with the illness–especially touching on how different their symptoms were.
In an interview with The Guardian, Hanks explained that both he and his wife have felt better after their two week battle with the virus--both not experiencing any longterm side effects. However, their actual experiences of the virus were very different.
He explained, "Our discomfort because of the virus was pretty much done in two weeks and we had very different reactions, and that was odd."
Hanks continued, "My wife lost her sense of taste and smell, she had severe nausea, she had a much higher fever than I did. I just had crippling body aches, I was very fatigued all the time and I couldn’t concentrate on anything for more than about 12 minutes."
He also discussed how he felt about the risks of coronavirus for him, considering his age and preexisting health conditions.
He told The Guardian, "When we were in the hospital, I said: ‘I’m 63, I have type 2 diabetes, I had a stent in my heart – am I a red flag case?’ But as long as our temperatures did not spike, and our lungs did not fill up with something that looked like pneumonia, they were not worried."
Hanks also explained that he was able to stay "pretty calm" throughout the two weeks: "I’m not one who wakes up in the morning wondering if I’m going to see the end of the day or not. I’m pretty calm about that."
Hanks also used the interview to discuss the risks of ignoring social distancing and other safety precautions.
He explained, "There’s really only three things everyone needs to do: wear a mask, social distance, wash your hands."
He also encouraged people to take the politics out of the debate, explaining, "I know societally it’s been politicized, but I don’t get it, man. I don’t understand how anyone can put their foot down and say: 'I don’t have to do my part.'"
Hanks continued, "Those things are so simple, so easy, if anybody cannot find it in themselves to practice those three very basic things – I just think shame on you."
He compared it to taking safety precautions while driving: "It’s very basic. If you’re driving a car, you don’t go too fast, you use your turn signal and you avoid hitting pedestrians. My Lord, it’s common sense."
