Daniel Dae Kim Tests Positive for COVID-19

The 51-year-old Korean American actor said in an Instagram video shared on Thursday that he was filming an upcoming TV show, “New Amsterdam,” in New York City when production was halted due to COVID-19.

Kim said it wasn’t until he returned home to Hawaii that he noticed symptoms such as chest tightness, body aches and a fever, CNN noted.

“As the flight was landing, I started noticing some scratchiness in my throat which was unlike how I usually get sick,” the actor explained.

After arriving back in Hawaii, his doctor recommended he get tested for COVID-19 at a drive-thru testing center in Honolulu, where he tested positive for the virus.

“The test itself was really awkward and a little painful because they shove a huge swab into your nose and into your throat, but it was worth it,” Kim said.

He was never hospitalized but was treated with medicine, rest and liquids.

“Today, even though I’m not 100%, I’m pretty close,” he said.

Kim also pointed out the reported incidents of racism and xenophobia towards Asian Americans, calling the acts “cowardly” and “inexcusable.” On Sunday, he commended sites like “@nextshark, @angryasianman, @originalspin and others for continuing to shine a light on these stories.”

“Yes, I’m Asian. And yes, I have coronavirus, but I did not get it in China. I got it in America — in New York City,” he said. “Despite what certain political leaders want to call it, I don’t consider the place where it’s from as important as the people who are sick and dying.”

Kim said his case wasn’t “a matter of life and death,” but he encouraged others to follow official health guidelines and practice social distancing.

“If you treat this without care you are potentially endangering the lives of millions of people, including your loved ones,” he said.

Kim remains optimistic that the virus will be beaten and he will continue to provide updates on his status as “necessary.”

“In the meantime please be safe, please be healthy and please be kind to one another,” he said. “And please stop hoarding the toilet paper. Seriously. How dirty are you down there?”