Brooke Baldwin Becomes Second CNN Anchor To Test Positive for Coronavirus
CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin announced Friday that she has tested positive for the coronavirus.
News of Baldwin’s positive test result came in a personal note on Instagram, in which the “CNN Newsroom” host shared her symptoms and assured followers she was “OKAY,” already looking forward to a post-recovery return to broadcasting.
“Hi friends — I’ve tested positive for coronavirus,” Baldwin wrote. “I am OKAY. It came on suddenly yesterday afternoon. Chills, aches, fever.”
“I’m healthy… no underlying conditions,” she added. “Honestly, I feel like one of the lucky ones.”
The announcement came at the close of a week in which confirmed cases of the virus have continued to skyrocket toward their expected April peak, according to The Wall Street Journal — a surge that has prompted further governmental reliance on “stay-at-home” orders and an emphasis on social-distancing guidelines.
Baldwin, however, had already been taking similar precautions for some time, her note indicated.
“I’ve been social distancing,” Baldwin said. “Doing ALL the things we’re being told to do. Still — it got me.”
Baldwin also thanked medical health professionals for their continued fight against the virus and paid her respects for American musical artist and acquaintance Bill Withers, who died this week due to heart complications, his family said Friday.
Withers’ hit song “Lean On Me” has become something of a rallying cry for coronavirus patients, first responders and their families and friends on social media in recent weeks.
Also offering a metaphorical shoulder for Baldwin to lean on given the circumstances were her colleagues at CNN.
“This was NOT part of the plan, Brooke,” morning show host Alisyn Camerota wrote in response to Baldwin’s announcement on Instagram, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “I thought we’d agreed to all stay healthy, weather this storm and go out for a huge cocktail at our earliest convenience. I am thinking of you, girl, and sending love and strength.”
“I love you beebs. You’re so strong,” Dana Bash wrote, accompanied by a series of emojis.
Baldwin is not the first CNN anchor to test positive for the virus.
“Cuomo Prime Time” host Chris Cuomo had similarly announced his own case Tuesday, saying he showed several symptoms and tested positive shortly after coming in contact with others who had contracted the virus.
“Sooooo in these difficult times that seem to get more difficult and complicated by the day, I just found out that I am positive for corona virus,” Cuomo wrote. “I have been exposed to people in recent days who have subsequently tested positive and I had fever, chills and shortness of breath.”
— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) March 31, 2020
“I just hope I didn’t give it to the kids and Cristina. That would make me feel worse than this illness!” he added.
Two staffers based in CNN’s New York City studio had previously tested positive for coronavirus, the outlet reported.
According to Johns Hopkins data, the United States accounted for more than 266,000 of the nearly 1.1 million confirmed cases reported across the globe.
New York City alone has seen 1,584 deaths.
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