Watt has worked with Cardi B, Post Malone and Ozzy Osbourne.
Producer Watt (born Andrew Watt) shared his harrowing story of testing positive for the coronavirus in a series of posts on Monday (March 16), in which he described how his illness from the COVID-19 virus rapidly progressed to the point where he was placed on a breathing machine.
The posts — which also alluded to the well-reported difficulty some Americans are having in obtaining tests for the novel coronavirus that has sickened more than 5,200 Americans and led to nearly 100 deaths — described a rapid progression and a frustrating path to confirming his diagnosis.
“Yesterday I was given the results that I am positive for COVID-19. I wanted to tell you all about my journey getting here in an effort to bring awareness to the severity of what’s happening in the world,” he wrote in a series of posts shared by the editor-in-chief of DJ Booth.
Watt, who has worked with Cardi B, Post Malone and Ozzy Osbourne, said on the morning of March 6 he started feeling like he was “hit by a bus. I couldn’t move out of my bed for days and started to run a fever.”
Watt was apparently seen by a doctor at home and told he had the flu and that there was no way he could have COVID-19 because he hadn’t left the country and only goes the studio and then straight home. He informed all his friends and anyone he’d worked with that he had the flu and self-quarantined.
Watt says he was then ordered to take Tamiflu and Tylenol to fight the fever, but “the chills, sweats, and fevers did not stop. I started to become delusional and then began the dry cough.”
Watt said he was rushed to the emergency room, where he “begged” for a COVID-19 test, but was turned down because of “federal regulations. I begged and pleaded to be evaluated and finally was given a chest x-ray,” he said. “The results of which were Viral Pneumonia… but still… No Test.” A private doctor tested him on Monday afternoon (March 16) and the he said the results were positive for the virus that has rampaged around the globe and is currently responsible for more than 7,500 deaths and more than 190,000 infections.
As of Tuesday (March 17), Watt said his fever has gotten much better and he’s starting to regain his appetite, though it is still very hard to breathe as a result of the pneumonia that he’s suffering from. “I am laid out in bed chugging Gatorade and using an oxygen machine to give my lungs as much relief as possible,” he wrote, adding a very harsh warning to anyone out there who is still not practicing the six-foot social distancing recommended by authorities to flatten the spread of the virus.
A spokesperson for Watt could not be reached for comment at press time.
“I am 29 years old. I am a healthy young man and I am going to get through this no matter what. I am going to make a full recovery,” he wrote. “But… there are so many people in my life and in the world that could possibly not get through this due to their age and/or a compromised immune system… this is why I am writing this post. I can’t stress this enough… This is not a joke. Stay inside, stay sanitized.”
Watt implored everyone to stop everything they’re doing and take care of themselves and the people around them. He sent an especially urgent not to the young people who are not taking the warnings to isolate seriously enough because they think they won’t get infected. “To have the mentality ‘I’m young this can’t affect me’ is just straight up stupid and so dangerous to everyone around you,” he said.
“Social distancing is to protect someone’s mom and dad, someone’s grandmother… it’s not about you. It’s about everyone together fighting this as a team.”
Artists have taken to social media to support Watt. “You got this Andrew! Love you and gonna pray for you,” Katy Perry commented on Instagram. “Sending you love and healing energy, you got this,” added Perry protégée Cyn.
Blink-182 also left a black heart emoji on the post, while the Rival Sons commented, “We hope you feel better soon.”
See Watt’s post below.
Watt’s statement came at the same time that Crown the Empire guitarist Brandon Hoover revealed in a similar post that he has also tested positive for COVID-19, joining a growing list of celebrities who’ve contracted the viral disease, including Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Universal Music Group Chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge and Cats star Idris Elba.
For information on how to stay safe and receive updates on the spread of the disease in the U.S., visit the CDC website.
42