Tom Hanks confirmed Wednesday evening that he and wife Rita Wilson had tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. Today, Hanks’ son and star of Life in Pieces, Colin Hanks, took to social media to give a general update on his parents’ diagnosis.
In his post, he helped ease fans’ concerns by stating:
We are so grateful for the outpouring of support from everyone. My parents are receiving excellent care in Australia and are doing well (and in good spirits) given the circumstances. Despite the fact that I’m in LA and haven’t seen them in over 3 weeks we have been in constant contact and am confident that they will make a full recovery.
Hanks and Wilson are currently in Australia where the former was preparing for his role as Elvis’ manager Tom Parker in Baz Luhrmann’s untitled Elvis Presley biopic, but they both began to feel tired and experience chills and fevers during their stay, prompting them to seek help. Tests confirmed the two had contracted the coronavirus, so Hanks took to Instagram last night where he stated that they’re being isolated and closely monitored by Australian health professionals as per protocol. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. issued a statement verifying that they were aware of Hanks’ condition and monitoring the situation as treatment continued.
The coronavirus has continued to spread at a rapid pace around the globe, prompting the World Health Organization to officially declare it a pandemic on Wednesday afternoon. Total worldwide cases have grown to over 125,000 with nearly 5,000 deaths. Italy continues to experience some of the worst of the virus’ work with over 10,000 cases and 600 deaths, prompting prime minister Giuseppe Conte to order a total shutdown of the country. Cases in the United States are increasing as well with confirmed cases exceeding 1,000 and resulting in nearly 40 deaths.
And the effects of the illness don’t stop there. Many public events like E3 and SXSW are also being canceled, China has pushed back the release of Disney’s new live-action Mulan and Fast & Furious 9 just got hit with a one year delay. With no signs of the virus stopping its spread any time soon, who knows how the year will play out for industries around the world.
As for Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, we wish them a speedy recovery and will let you know as soon as we hear more on their status.