True Blood Star Anna Camp Reveals Struggles With Coronavirus Diagnosis

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended nearly every aspect of our everyday lives in recent months, as social distancing requirements and other precautions are put in place to attempt to lessen the virus' spread. As cases continue to grow in various states and cities, many celebrities have taken to social media to advocate for being safe -- including some of those who have contracted the coronavirus themselves. Anna Camp, an actress best known for her roles in Pitch Perfect and True Blood, is the latest to do so, and she's sharing a pretty poignant story in the process. Last week, Camp took to Instagram to reveal that she "felt it was [her] responsibility" to share her experience with getting the virus, which she believes was due to her not wearing a mask in public "one time".

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Hi friends... I felt it was my responsibility to share that I ended up getting Covid-19. I have since tested negative, but I was extremely sick for over three weeks and still have lingering symptoms. I was incredibly safe. I wore a mask. I used hand sanitizer. One time, when the world was starting to open up, I decided to forgo wearing my mask in public. One. Time. And I ended up getting it. I believe it may have been because of that one time. People are saying it’s like having the flu, but I’ve had the flu, and this is absolutely not that. The panic of contracting a virus that is basically untreatable and is so new that no one knows the long term irreparable damage it does to your immune system is unbelievably stressful. Completely losing my sense of smell and taste without knowing when or even if they will return is extremely disorienting. I’m only smelling about 30 percent of how I used to now. Other persistent symptoms are (a month later) dizziness, extreme fatigue, impacted sinuses, upset stomach, nausea, vomiting, and fever. I’m lucky. Because I didn’t die. But people are. Please wear ur mask. It can happen any time. And it can happen to anyone. Even that one time you feel safe. We can all make a difference. Wearing a mask is saving lives. Thank you to everyone who reached out to check on me during this scary time. Please be safe out there. Let’s all do our part and wear a mask. I don’t want any of you to go through what I did. Even though it’s a little thing, it can have a huge impact, and it’s so incredibly easy to do❤️

A post shared by Anna Camp (@therealannacamp) on Jul 21, 2020 at 11:23am PDT

"I felt it was my responsibility to share that I ended up getting Covid-19. I have since tested negative, but I was extremely sick for over three weeks and still have lingering symptoms," Camp writes in her post. "I was incredibly safe. I wore a mask. I used hand sanitizer. One time, when the world was starting to open up, I decided to forgo wearing my mask in public. One. Time. And I ended up getting it. I believe it may have been because of that one time."

Camp went on to detail the lingering symptoms she still experiences, almost a month after contracting the virus.

"People are saying it's like having the flu, but I've had the flu, and this is absolutely not that," Camp continues. "The panic of contracting a virus that is basically untreatable and is so new that no one knows the long term irreparable damage it does to your immune system is unbelievably stressful. Completely losing my sense of smell and taste without knowing when or even if they will return is extremely disorienting. I'm only smelling about 30 percent of how I used to now. Other persistent symptoms are (a month later) dizziness, extreme fatigue, impacted sinuses, upset stomach, nausea, vomiting, and fever."

Camp went on to write that she's "lucky" for living through her coronavirus diagnosis, and asked for people to "do [their] part" and wear masks in public.

Camp is just the latest celebrity to publicly advocate for wearing a mask, with Tom Hanks - who, along with his wife Rita Wilson, contracted the virus earlier this year - calling mask-wearing "common sense".

"Those things are so simple, so easy, if anybody cannot find it in themselves to practice those three very basic things – I just think shame on you," Hanks said in an interview earlier this month. "Don't be a p----, get on with it, do your part. It's very basic. If you're driving a car, you don't go too fast, you use your turn signal and you avoid hitting pedestrians. My Lord, it's common sense."

What do you think of Camp's post about her experience with the coronavirus? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!