Alyssa Milano says she has coronavirus antibodies after losing 9 pounds during an intense 2-week illness

• "Charmed" actress Alyssa Milano says she has tested positive for coronavirus antibodies.
• She twice tested negative for the virus in March, then fell extremely ill in early April. Her symptoms included a headache, fever, fatigue, loss of smell and appetite, and difficulty breathing.
• She cautioned followers that antibody tests vary widely in how accurate they are, and delays in testing are still an issue.

Actress Alyssa Milano, of hit TV shows "Charmed" and "Melrose Place," told fans she has tested positive for coronavirus antibodies after an intense illness during which she lost 9 pounds.

The star described her experience on Instagram Wednesday, revealing she twice tested negative for the coronavirus in March, then fell severely sick for 2 weeks in early April.

Posting a picture of herself April 2, at which point, she said, she "basically had every COVID symptom," including headaches, fever, fatigue, loss of smell, disorientation, digestive issues, malaise, and shortness of breath.

"I had never been this kind of sick. Everything hurt ... it felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest" she wrote. "I thought I was dying."

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 PDTAug 5, 2020 at 12:42pm PDT

Milano said she had taken an antibody test after she recovered in April, and that, too, was negative. She posted of a screenshot of her latest test results which were positive for COVID-19 antibodies.

Why it's possible to test negative for the coronavirus and antibodies

Coronavirus testing can be complex. Viral testing can only determine if a person has an active infection when they are testing — based on the timing, the test could come back negative, but a patient could become sick soon after.

Antibody tests vary widely in how accurate and reliable they are. Antibody test results can also vary based on how recently a person was sick, and how severe their symptoms were, studies suggest. It can take up to three weeks after infection to develop antibodies, according to Mount Sinai, so being tested immediately after being ill could easily result in misleading negative result.

Milano told her followers that the testing system is "flawed, and we don't know the real numbers" and urged them to understand that the virus is not a hoax.

Coronavirus testing in the US continues to be stalled by shortages and delays, making it difficult to accurately assess the current spread of the virus and potentially leading the nation into a false sense of security as cases appear to be on the decline, experts say.

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