MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle revealed to viewers Monday that she and her family are recovering from COVID-19.
After opening her segment with harrowing figures about the country’s record-high numbers of coronavirus hospitalizations and new cases, Ruhle said she was among them.
“After testing positive for COVID-19, I have spent the better part of the last two weeks in bed isolating and taking all the precautions needed to protect myself, my family, and my community,” she said.
“My husband and my kids — they have it, too. We still don’t know how we got it, but we’re getting better, and we are very, very lucky.”
She said she was on the mend and would be broadcasting from home where she will isolate until she’s certain she’s no longer contagious and positive for the virus.
“We don’t have a vaccine today,” Ruhle said. “We have a virus that is ravaging our country, and we need to do a whole lot more to stop it. And as a person who is sick and scared, I am begging you, please take this seriously. It is not over.”
In a personal essay about her experience, Ruhle said her husband Andy Hubbard tested positive on Nov. 25, and immediately went into isolation in their New York City apartment. Ruhle and their three children, who are 14, 11, and 7, stayed at their New Jersey home, where Ruhle isolated away from the kids.
Ruhle said she tested positive about a week later and experienced fluctuating symptoms that felt like a “terrible flu.”
She described the struggle she and her husband went through trying to get test results and to make contact tracing calls, slamming the government’s failure to provide a coherent national plan.
“The only way we can get through this is if we have a system that works for everyone, and after having Covid-19, I’m convinced that we do not,” she said.
Her message comes as the numbers of COVID-19 infections, deaths and hospitalizations are exploding across much of the country. The U.S. death toll is at more than 283,000.
Read more about Ruhle’s experience here.
- Which airlines are blocking out middle seats for holiday travel?
- How does the coronavirus spread differently than the flu?
- Can you close your COVID "bubble" without losing friends forever?
- Is it safe to see grandparents over the holidays?
- How can you help a friend with anxiety when you're also struggling?
Everyone deserves accurate information about COVID-19. Support journalism without a paywall — and keep it free for everyone — by becoming a HuffPost member today.