Ellen DeGeneres says she has tested positive for COVID-19 but is “feeling fine right now.”
Production on her daytime talk show has been paused until January, producer Telepictures said in a statement that followed DeGeneres' Thursday announcement.
In an Instagram post, DeGeneres said anyone who was in close contact with her has been notified, adding that she's following “all proper CDC guidelines," a reference to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“I'll see you all again after the holidays. Please stay healthy and safe,” DeGeneres said in her post.
Reruns of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” were to air starting Thursday.
When the coronavirus outbreak hit in March, DeGeneres shifted to taping without a studio audience, as did other talk shows. When the series began its 18th season in September, her show added fans virtually into the seats, and then in October, began allowing a few dozen people into the studio.
The talk show is filmed at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California.
California has seen a surge of coronavirus infections, deaths and hospitalizations over the last two weeks. The state has tallied over 1.4 million cases and over 20,400 deaths since March. Los Angeles County, where the Warner Bros. studios are located, has reported 8,075 deaths and 475,271 confirmed cases as of Thursday.
For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.
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The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.
