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Alyssa Milano Tests Positive for COVID-19 Antibodies After 3 Negative Results: 'I Thought I Was Dying'

Gabrielle Chung
Updated ·4-min read

Alyssa Milano has tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies after falling ill during the coronavirus outbreak.

The Melrose Place alum, 47, shared her positive results in an Instagram post on Wednesday, revealing that she "basically had every Covid symptom" earlier this year but tested negative for the novel coronavirus when she was sick.

Alongside a photo of herself wearing what appears to be a mask attached to a breathing machine, Milano wrote, "This was me on April 2nd after being sick for 2 weeks. I had never been this kind of sick."

"Everything hurt. Loss of smell. It felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t keep food in me. I lost 9 pounds in 2 weeks. I was confused. Low grade fever. And the headaches were horrible," she continued. "I basically had every Covid symptom."

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This was me on April 2nd after being sick for 2 weeks. I had never been this kind of sick. Everything hurt. Loss of smell. It felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t keep food in me. I lost 9 pounds in 2 weeks. I was confused. Low grade fever. And the headaches were horrible. I basically had every Covid symptom. At the very end of march I took two covid19 tests and both were negative. I also took a covid antibody test (the finger prick test) after I was feeling a bit better. NEGATIVE. After living the last 4 months with lingering symptoms like, vertigo, stomach abnormalities, irregular periods, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, zero short term memory, and general malaise, I went and got an antibody test from a blood draw (not the finger prick) from a lab. I am POSITIVE for covid antibodies. I had Covid19. I just want you to be aware that our testing system is flawed and we don’t know the real numbers. I also want you to know, this illness is not a hoax. I thought I was dying. It felt like I was dying. I will be donating my plasma with hopes that I might save a life. Please take care of yourselves. Please wash your hands and wear a mask and social distance. I don’t want anyone to feel the way I felt. Be well. I love you all (well, maybe not the trolls. Just the kind people.)❤️

A post shared by Alyssa Milano (@milano_alyssa) on Aug 5, 2020 at 12:42pm PDT

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Despite her symptoms, Milano said she tested negative for coronavirus twice at the end of March and received a negative result in her COVID-19 antibody test — which was performed with a finger prick — after she was "feeling a bit better."

However, Milano wrote that she continued to live with "lingering symptoms like, vertigo, stomach abnormalities, irregular periods, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, zero short term memory, and general malaise" for the past four months and decided to take another antibody test at a lab where blood is drawn to be sure of her diagnosis.

"I am POSITIVE for covid antibodies," she shared, posting a screenshot of her latest test results. "I had Covid19."

Milano went on to explain that she's going public with her experience to let fans know "that our testing system is flawed and we don’t know the real numbers."

"I also want you to know, this illness is not a hoax. I thought I was dying. It felt like I was dying," she said

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The former Who's The Boss? star added that she will be donating her plasma in the future "with hopes that I might save a life."

"Please take care of yourselves. Please wash your hands and wear a mask and social distance," she told fans. "I don’t want anyone to feel the way I felt. Be well. I love you all (well, maybe not the trolls. Just the kind people.) ❤️."

Testing positive for COVID-19 antibodies indicates that a person has been exposed to the novel coronavirus. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that the antibody tests currently available may not be accurate and should not be used to determine if someone is immune to COVID-19.

As of Wednesday, there have been more than 4,821,600 cases of COVID-19 in the United States and 158,300 deaths from coronavirus-related illnesses, according to a New York Times database.

As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments. PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMe to raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, click here.