Hip hop artist Slim Thug uploaded a video to his Instagram account on Tuesday in which he revealed to followers that he has tested positive for the coronavirus.
The Houston, Texas-born rapper, 39, told his 1.1 million followers, ‘Check this out, no games being played – the other day, I got tested for the coronavirus, yesterday it came back positive.’
Slim, whose birth name is Stayve Jerome Thomas, went on to explain that ‘as careful as I’ve been, self-quarantining, staying home, I might have went and got something to eat or something like that, simple stuff like that, nothing crazy.’
‘Stayed in my truck, had masks, gloves, everything on,’ the Welcome 2 Houston star continued, but nonetheless, ‘my test came back positive.’
The rapper, who sported a shaved head, long beard and a white tank top in the confessional video, then switched to a tone of warning for those watching.
‘Y’all gotta take this stuff serious,’ Slim continued. ‘Sit home, self-quarantine, do not come outside for however long they’re saying. If you have symptoms, you need to go get checked out.’
The musician then assured his viewers as to his current state of health, saying, ‘I’m good. I feel good, I don’t got no problems right now.’
‘The other day I had a slight fever and a cough, but I feel better now. I don’t have a fever or nothing like that, so I feel like I’m good, but y’all better take this serious. It’s real out here.’
The rapper joins a long and growing list of celebrities who have been diagnosed with the spreading illness, which includes actors Tom Hanks and Idris Elba, as well as TV host Andy Cohen and many more.
Also on Tuesday, it was reported that Tony Award-winning Ragtime playwright Terrence McNally had died of complications due to the virus, at age 81.
The US coronavirus death toll climbed to 586 on Monday as the total number of cases surpassed 46,400 and fifteen states went into various forms of lock-down.
With the mounting numbers, The World Health Organization has warned that the U.S. could soon become the new coronavirus epicenter, and that strict containment practices are still needed.