Nyle Dimarco Says He 'Likely Contracted Coronavirus' But Will Skip Testing to Help Others

Nyle DiMarco is putting others ahead of himself amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Although he was exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, the Dancing with the Stars champion said in an Instagram video on Saturday that he opted not to get tested due to the lack of tests available in the United States.

“I’ve been pretty sick over the last few days,” DiMarco, 30, explained. “But don’t worry, I am on the mend now. It is very likely that I had contracted coronavirus. I have had access to a test, but I chose against it because the United States, right now, is going through a vast shortage of tests. There are so many sick patients out there who need access more than I do.”

“Starting with this past Sunday and continuing for about 48 hours, I had a spiked fever, chills, a sore throat, a mild cough,” the model shared. “All these are symptoms of COVID-19 as we know it. Many people with COVID-19 have reported a lack in the ability to smell or taste, which was something I experienced as well. Knowing that I wasn’t high risk, I texted my doctor to communicate. I kept myself in self-quarantine and I kept an eye on my respiratory system in case any issues came up because I knew if it worsened, it could be fatal.”

View this post on Instagram I do not typically do this but I wanted to share something… I’ve been really sick and I am now on the mend. It is very possible I contracted coronavirus and I have access to get tested but I do not want to. The reason is because there is a shortage of covid-19 test kits in the U.S. and the sick patients need it more than I do. For 48 hours starting Sunday night, I had a fever, body chills, a sore throat and a mild cough. All these are symptomatic of COVID-19. Some with COVID-19 have reported not being able to taste or smell. That was my experience too. I knew I wasn’t a high risk so I stayed calm. I communicated with my doctor and self-quarantined. I kept an eye out for any respiratory issues because if it worsened, it could be deadly. But I recovered…. And I still am self-isolating. I’d like to stress that testing is important. Widespread testing has been a key part for some countries like South Korea’s efforts in handling Covid-19. In a perfect world, I’d take the test. Unfortunately the U.S. lacks enough test kits. If you are healthy and have no respiratory issues, I encourage you to be mindful of sick patients that need to get tested more than you do. And stay at home to avoid spreading and help flattening the curve. We’re in this together. Let look out for each other!!

A post shared by Nyle DiMarco (@nyledimarco) on Mar 21, 2020 at 12:05pm PDT

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DiMarco, who explained that he has now recovered and is self-isolating, told fans he would “really like to stress the importance of testing.”

“Of course, testing is critical and it’s been proven in some countries like South Korea to greatly help the efforts of combating coronavirus,” he wrote. “In a perfect world, I would take that test. However, the U.S. lacks enough test kits for everyone. If you are healthy and have no respiratory issues, I ask you to be mindful of sick patients and allow them to get tested if they need it more than you do.”

“And please, stay home,” DiMarco added. “We are trying to avoid spreading this and flattening the curve. We’re all in this together. Let’s do it.”

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Despite the high number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States, many Americans have said they’ve even been turned away due to the lack of testing kits, which spurs from a manufacturing problem with the first batch of kits, made by the CDC.

Correcting that error delayed production, and the CDC has only recently started sending the new versions out to states.

As of March 22, there have been at least 29,666 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States and 377 deaths, according to the New York Times database.

As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLEis 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 and visit our coronavirus hub.