Debi Mazar Shares Her COVID-19 Experience, Plus: Madonna's Message

On Saturday, "Younger" actress Debi Mazar shared her COVID-19 story on Instagram after testing positive for the virus.

She started on an upbeat note, writing, "I have just tested positive for Covid-19.I AM OK!"

She then detailed her health issues leading up to the diagnosis: "About a month ago my entire home(husband and two teen daughters) got an odd bug-Low grade fever,headaches,sore throat,body aches,ears ringing and a dry cough.It cleared up quickly.Seasonal I thought?but it felt unusual/different...Two weeks later,March 15th,I woke up with all those same symptoms but super intense body aches,and 102.4 fever.I figured maybe I got the flu or..Corona?😬"

Wondering if having smoked and had a few drinks the night before might have weakened her immune system, she still decided to call a doctor buddy to see if she could be tested for the coronavirus. His answer shocked her.

"He said NO,I didn't meet the criteria.I hadn't recently traveled out of the country&I hadnt been with someone who had actually tested positive.I found this kind of a CRAZY criteria for a NY'er as I had taken the subway,gone to the theater,the grocery store,the pharmacy,hair salon,etc.I was the Mom who was trying to prepare the home and get supplies&bleach wipes,dry goods.extra food etc."

Frustrated at her inability to get tested — and at the fact that NYC was still filled with people not staying home — she heard an urgent care facility had testing, so she took the plunge.

The lack of testing in the U.S. has been widely criticized, and Mazar is no exception. "I went on 3/17.First I was tested for the flu-which was negative.Then they tested me for Covid-19.I was sent home and told to quarantine myself until I had results,which would take 3-7 days(in S.Korea it takes two hours)."

Five days later, she was told she had tested positive.

As troubling as the process was, her prognosis is, so far, very good. "Im hoping I've been through the worst of it already.Its very 'morphy'.One day I feel crappy and the next I'm normal.Today my lungs are heavy,but I'm tough.I can breath,and I'm going to heal here,in my own home!My family is under quarantine for 14 days.They have no symptoms.I think we all had it possibly already?Who knows."

Her advice for us all? "Stay home people!Protect yourselves&your loved ones.Build up your immune systems.Good Luck&God Bless us all!"

Among her hashtags was #physicaldistancing, which is picking up steam among those who think #socialdistancing sends the message that we can't communicate and interact. We can... via social media and your phone!

Mazar's close friend of nearly 40 years, Madonna, has been posting about COVID-19 from her home, where she is recovering from an injury to her leg. On Sunday, she observed that the virus is "the great equalizer," and that it can strike anyone, regardless of age or income. She made the observation while bathing!