Coronavirus Survivor Details COVID-19 Experience
Arie Luyendyk Jr. is counting down the days until he can hug wife Lauren Burnham and their daughter, Alessi, again.
On Thanksgiving, the former Bachelor revealed that he tested positive for the coronavirus about ten days ago. He shared, “Many of you have been wondering why we haven’t done Bachelor Brunch, why we’ve been so absent on social media and why I’m sitting like 25 feet away from the girls. It’s cause I actually tested positive for COVID.”
“It’s been rough. I gotta say it’s not been easy being separated,” Arie shared, “I’ve been on the other side of the house; Lauren has been really sweet, she’s keeping me fed. She just slides some food outside and then I go get it.”
The next day, the 39-year-old revealed he was going to get tested a second time to see if the virus has left his system. On his Instagram Story, he shared a video of the queue for a rapid testing center, describing the wait as “insane.”
“Still waiting… rapid tests are really hard to come by here (everyone is out of them) Had to go to an independent lab which charges $125,” the former race car driver said. “They do 300 tests a day and run through them before lunch.”
ABC/John Fleenor
At the time of publication Arie had yet to update his fans on the results of his latest test.
Lauren and Alessi remain happy and healthy, but are missing the affections of Arie. On Instagram, Lauren expressed what she’s grateful for this Thanksgiving, writing, “thankful for family. @ariejr would be in this pic too, but he has covid so kisses & pics through windows only for now. lol hope you guys are having a great thanksgiving! xo”
Arie is the latest member of Bachelor Nation to contract the novel virus.
Peter Giannikopoulos from Tayshia Adams’ season of The Bachelorette revealed that he was diagnosed with the coronavirus earlier this month, despite taking numerous precautions. He shared on Instagram, “I am going through a lot of emotions at the moment with so many thoughts in my head as to how this happened… I felt lousy for a few days but didn’t believe I would contract the virus when I have been wearing a mask in public, washing and sanitizing hands regularly, and following social distancing protocol during work. This is an example no matter who we are or what we do, we are all vulnerable.”
He went on to reveal that he crashed his car the same day he was diagnosed, explaining how his “anxiety” caused him to pass out behind the wheel of his car. “As a result of the anxiety, I lost consciousness behind the wheel and my car went off road through a guard rail and hit a pole,” the contestant shared. “The air bag deployed, driver side door was wedged in, broken glass everywhere, and I was 5ft away from smashing into a building. All I remember was waking up to people shouting for help, as I was in a deep daze and confusion. I didn’t know where I was, how I got there, or what happened.”
Now recovering from both the virus and the car crash, Peter remains optimistic. He told his followers, “Although my symptoms are evident, I am going to fight this and win… I understand so many lives have been impacted and my heart goes out to every single person affected. It’s okay to be nervous, anxious, and feeling uncertain, but just remember we are all in it together.”
For the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic and for tips on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19, please visit The Center for Disease Control and Prevention at https://www.cdc.gov.
