As the WHO declares coronavirus a pandemic, Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson test positive for the infection

Want to hear some significant updates on the contagious coronavirus? One is the fact that WHO has recently declared the novel virus as a ‘pandemic’. Secondly, Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson have been tested positive for the virus.

“We have never before seen a pandemic sparked by a coronavirus. And we have never before seen a pandemic that can be controlled at the same time,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday

What is a pandemic though? According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) , a pandemic is a world-wide spread of more than normal number of cases of a specific illness. Although while declaring COVID-19  a ‘pandemic’, the WHO has chosen to act with complete awareness than panic towards its suppression and control. 

Moving  onto the other update, Hollywood actor Tom Hanks has revealed in a tweet that he and wife Rita Wilson have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The actor couple are currently in Australia to shoot for the pre-production of Baz Luhrmann’s untitled Elvis Presley film, decided to get tested after they felt “a bit tired”.

“Hey folks Rita and I are down here in Australia. We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too. To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the coronavirus, and were found to be positive,” Hanks said in a tweet.

Swiftly taking into control the health safety required, Hanks shared :

“The medical officials have protocols that must be followed. Hanks will be tested, observed and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires”.

In his efforts to create a calm vigilant attitude in combating this contagious disease with his wife , Hanks tweeted

“Not much more to it than one-day at a time approach, no? We will keep the world posted and updated. Take care of yourselves!” Hanks tweeted.

The highly contagious virus that first originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year has claimed over 4,200 lives and infected more than 117,330 people across 107 countries and territories. 

That said, while it is important to become aware of the real threats of this contagious outbreak, it is also significant to act with a calm awareness rather than panic. Let’s do our best to keep us and our surroundings safe from this ‘pandemic’ and fight it off. And if you need a guiding force to keep you calm, take inspiration from the Hanks! 

(With inputs from PTI)