Comedian Michael V confirmed on his Youtube vlog that he has tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
In his video that premiered in his Youtube channel on Monday, July 20, the Bubble Gang comedian documented the symptoms he was experiencing and the struggles he went through while fighting the viral disease.
“Siyempre nag-isolate na kagad ako, nag-quarantine na kagad ako. I took medicine nagpa-check up doctor online. I got better the following day (Of course I immediately isolated myself, I underwent self-quarantine. I took medicine and had myself checked by the doctor online. I got better the following day),” he shared in his vlog.
Bitoy described in the video that he was exako saperiencing “flu-like symptoms”, including fever, loss of the sense of smell and taste, a weird sensation in the nasal area, and slight body pains.
He also added that he and his family has been strict with following the social distancing rules and followed safety regulations for the past months.
“We’ve been really strict about safety. ‘Yung social distancing pina-practice namin yun, yung PPEs, every time we go out and interact with other people and ‘pag lumalabas kami, normally nga halos wala talaga kaming labas eh. Very, very minimal ‘yung times na lumabas kami (We’ve been really strict about safety. We practice social distancing and wear PPEs every time we go out and interact with people. But normally, we barely go out. The times that we go out are very minimal,” Bitoy said.
The Pepito Manaloto star also shared the process of his swab test the next day and said that the test took him 5 hours and cost him more than ₱12,000.
He also showed the isolation setup in his studio separate from the unit he lives in with his family, as well as how they deliver the food to him. The comedian said that he is still unable to taste or smell the food he eats.
Bitoy also admitted that what he struggles the most is not being able to be with his own family despite them being a stone’s throw away from his studio.
“Ang hirap pala ano? Lumipas nanaman ang isang araw na hindi mo sila nayakap. Hindi mo sila nahalikan. Hindi mo na sila nakita (It’s actually really hard. Another has passed that you didn’t get to hug them. You didn’t get to give them a kiss. You didn’t get to see them),” the comedian shared tearfully during his 6th day of self-isolation.
“But then again if you look at it from a different perspective, alam mong tomorrow is another day. Malay mo bukas tapos na ‘to (But then again if you look at it from a different perspective, you know that tomorrow is another day. You’ll never know maybe tomorrow this will all end),” He added.
On the 8th day of his isolation, Bitoy documented himself calling the hospital to confirm his results that he received through email. The email read “SARS-CoV-2 (causative agent of COVID-19) viral RNA detected” which means that the comedian tested positive of the coronavirus disease.
“So that’s it. Positive. Just as we suspected early on,” he said to his viewers.
“Alam kong hindi normal ‘yung nawala ‘yung pang-amoy ko and I was counting na may kinalaman talaga ‘yun sa COVID but I was praying na wala. Sana allergy lang. But it turns out… tutuloy lang natin mga sinabi sa’tin na kailangan gawin and we’ll get through this; we’ve been through worse. Sobrang nami-miss ko na ‘yung pamilya ko (I know that the loss of my sense of smell is not normal and I was counting that it really has something to do with COVID-19, but I was praying that it’s nothing. I was hoping it’s just allergies. But it turns out… we’ll just continue with what they said we should do and we’ll get through this; we’ve been through worse. I miss my family badly),” Bitoy concluded in his video.
Michael V is the latest among the list of Filipino celebrities who tested positive of the coronavirus disease along with Iza Calzado, Christopher de Leon, Sylvia Sanchez, and journalist Howie Severino.