Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson were the most famous people to be first diagnosed with Covid-19 when they were hospitalised with the disease in March.
But the Hollywood star has revealed that he and his wife had very different experiences after falling ill in Australia and spending three days in hospital.
“We had very different reactions, and that was odd,” he told The Guardian.
“My wife lost her sense of taste and smell, she had severe nausea, she had a much higher fever than I did.
“I just had crippling body aches, I was very fatigued all the time and I couldn’t concentrate on anything for more than about 12 minutes. That last bit is kinda like my natural state anyway.”
Four months later and the Forrest Gump star insisted both he and his wife are fully recovered.
“Oh no, we’re fine,” he added. “Our discomfort because of the virus was pretty much done in two weeks.
“When we were in the hospital, I said: ‘I’m 63, I have type 2 diabetes, I had a stent in my heart – am I a red flag case?’ But as long as our temperatures did not spike, and our lungs did not fill up with something that looked like pneumonia, they were not worried.
“I’m not one who wakes up in the morning wondering if I’m going to see the end of the day or not. I’m pretty calm about that.”
However, the actor is less than impressed with his home country - and President Trump’s - response to the pandemic.
“Oh dear! I have nothing but question marks about the official position as well as the individual choice,” he admitted.
“There’s really only three things everyone needs to do: wear a mask, social distance, wash your hands. I know societally it’s been politicised, but I don’t get it, man. I don’t understand how anyone can put their foot down and say: ‘I don’t have to do my part.’
He added: “I grew up looking to our leaders for calm and informed guidance and I don’t think we’ve got that.”
Earlier this month, Tom and Rita shared images on social media of their contribution to coronavirus research at UCLA.
Tom showed a bag of plasma that he’d donated to the university, and Rita showed how she was tested for antibodies prior to making her own donation.
Plasma from people who have survived Covid-19 can contain antibodies to the disease. Researchers are investigating the use of this plasma to help patients battling severe cases of the virus recover faster.
Tom said that after the paperwork, the procedure was “as easy as taking a nap”.