Drew Pinsky, known by his TV name, Dr. Drew, revealed that he tested positive for COVID-19 this week, months after minimizing the virus and calling the pandemic “press-induced”.
In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Pinsky shared that he had tested positive for COVID-19 alongside a photo of him lying in bed. The caption said that he “is feeling better and will [hopefully] get well soon. “In a later video, Pinsky said” COVID is not fun. I don’t recommend it. ”
“Thanks for checking me out, I appreciate all the kind comments,” said Pinksy in his video. “I’m kind of in the viral phase, which is when the virus is reproducing, and I took a lot of good drugs to attack so early.”
Pinksy then said he was in the “inflammatory phase”, explaining that his lungs are “filling”. He also added that he is happy to have gotten it now and “not before in the course” of the pandemic, due to all the treatments that are now available. People left comments on their Instagram videos pointing out that these treatments were not available to everyone.
Pinsky also said that he initially tested negative for COVID-19, but tested positive “on day four”.
In April, a video compilation circulated online by Pinsky minimizing COVID-19 in several interviews in February and March and telling people how the virus is less serious than the flu. In a February clip, when asked if he could predict 20,000 deaths from the coronavirus, he said “it won’t happen”.
As of Thursday, COVID-19 has killed more than 1.8 million people worldwide, including at least 343,818 Americans, according to Johns Hopkins.
“It is a panic induced by the press, I am angry about it. It’s the flu, ”Pinsky told the KTLA on March 2, just days before the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic.
He later apologized for his earlier comments, saying “My first comments about the coronavirus and influenza equation were wrong. They were incorrect. I was part of a chorus that said that and we were wrong. And I want to apologize for that. “
Pinsky is known for being a TV personality and a doctor who has hosted shows, including “Dr. Drew ”and“ The Dr. Drew Podcast ”.