Former Lost Star Tests Positive, Calls Out the 'Cowardly'

Celebrities with the coronavirus? You can add actor Daniel Dae Kim to the list. "Hi everyone—yesterday I was diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus," says the former Lost and Hawaii Five-0 actor on Instagram. "Looks like I'll be OK, but I wanted share my journey with you in the hopes that you find it informative or helpful. Hope you all stay safe, calm, and above all, healthy." In a 10-minute video, Kim says he likely contracted the illness in New York City while shooting the TV series New Amsterdam—in which he happened to be playing a doctor at a hospital working amid a flu pandemic, notes the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Kim says he returned home to Hawaii with a scratchy throat; he self-quarantined as he developed symptoms including fever, body aches, and chest tightness. So he went to a drive-through testing center and sure enough, tested positive. Since then it's been rest, meds, and liquids. He warns that "if you treat this without care you are potentially endangering the lives of millions of people, including your loved ones," and he calls out what he terms "cowardly" and "inexcusable" xenophobia over the outbreak. "Yes, I'm Asian. And yes, I have coronavirus, but I did not get it in China," he says. "I got it in America—in New York City." As for himself: "Today, even though I'm not 100%, I'm pretty close." The New York Times is keeping an updated list of celebrities, athletes, and public figures who've tested positive here. (More coronavirus stories.)