She shares the news in an Instagram video
Country pop singer Olivia Lane has tested positive for COVID-19. The singer/songwriter shared the news on social media on Saturday (March 28th) stating she thought her symptoms were those of a sinus infection and not the deadly coronavirus. She says she decided to get tested following multiple conversations with nurses and doctors.
“I lost my taste in smell last Friday, pretty dramatically, which I’ve had sinus infections before in the past and I had never lost my senses that dramatically before,” she shares in an Instagram video below. “I just started feeling a little bit worse. It kinda felt like a sinus headache, like a lingering sinus headache. I had a really stuffy nose. I had a really kinda bad headache and then I had earaches which was all kinda pointing me in the direction of a sinus infection. So I thought that’s what I had.”
She continues, “Really my only symptoms this past week have been no taste or smell. If I got my heart rate up a little bit too much — like walking up the stairs, for instance — I got really nauseous and really dizzy. But I never had a fever that I know of because I wasn’t taking my temperature in the beginning, but ever since Sunday I have not had a fever. I never really had chills or aches so naturally I thought it was a sinus infection. So I waited a little bit before deciding to go get a test, so I decided to get a test yesterday.”
She encourages everyone to get tested if you’re feeling different than usual.
“So in a turn of events, multiple conversations with nurses & doctors, I’ve tested positive for COVID-19. I thought it was important to tell y’all my story because this virus is still very new. There’s lot of information leading to hysteria out there that may have you stressed out or anxious, so I hope sharing this brings a bit more clarity.
“I didn’t have the typical symptoms the news was talking about, so I thought I just had a sinus infection. However, I personally decided to start self quarantining after I found out someone in my building contracted the virus a couple weeks ago, before I was even showing any symptoms.
“If any of y’all feel like you have the same symptoms as me, please take the necessary precautions. Many of us are young and going to be fine, but you may not know you have it and may be spreading it to those more vulnerable. I thought I did everything right and somehow I still contracted it. We are not invincible, my friends.
“Please take care of yourselves, rest, give yourself a break from the news, social distance, wash your hands, and if you want to, be like me and Clorox wipe every single thing you touch (we actually made our own wipes bc the stores have been out). I’ve got a few more days to go til I can start living normally again, but I’ll still be wiping everything down for a while.
“Once I’ve healed fully, I’m looking into donating my blood to aid in antibody treatments. If anyone has had it, maybe consider how to help moving forward.”
She’s among the few musicians who have publicly announced their COVID-19 positive. Last week, Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan shared he tested positive as did pop singer Jackson Browne and 90’s country star Joe Diffie, who both shared their stories this week.
Every hour seems to bring different ideas around the country. Several states have issued “Stay at Home” orders with others quickly following. Only essential businesses, such as grocery stores, banks and gas stations, remain open in those states until further notice. Schools are out for at least a month, but possibly through the end of the school year. International travel has also been restricted until further notice to help combat the rapid spread of the deadly virus that originated in Wuhan, China. The US now leads the world the most cases as it reaches over 110k.
