Actor Kiran Kumar tests negative for coronavirus, says COVID-19 felt like a ‘scary phantom’

Kiran Kumar's third test reports came negative today. He was asymptomatic positive and quarantined himself at home.

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New Delhi: Veteran actor Kiran Kumar, who was tested positive for coronavirus last week, has now successfully battled the disease. His third test reports came negative today. Kiran Kumar was asymptomatic positive and quarantined himself at home.

"I'm asymptomatic positive. There's no fever, no cough or any breathlessness. I have quarantined myself at home. It’s been over 10 days and I’m absolutely fine," the ‘Dhadkan’ actor had told Zee News. He also added that he is utilising the moment to discover himself by doing things on his own.

After the result came negative, Kiran Kumar released a statement in which he thanked the doctors, Mumbai’s municipal corporation team and said that “corona felt like a looming, distant and scary phantom.”

The 74-year-old actor did not have any symptoms of the virus. He had gone for a regular medical check-up at a hospital in Mumbai, but after undergoing a minor procedure, he learnt he is asymptomatic positive.

Kiran Kumar's statement reads:

It’s safe to say that things feel more than a little surreal at the moment. Never in our wildest dreams could we have imagined a dystopia like this would be our everyday reality.

But it is.

A few weeks ago, I had to undergo a routine medical procedure for which, under the government's guideline at the time, a COVID-19 test was mandatory. My daughter accompanied me for the testing and we joked and laughed and generally remained upbeat, certain that this was just a formality and we would get on with our normal lives soon enough.

The test results came back positive.

Within the hour, we cordoned off a floor at home and turned it into an isolation zone. The amazing doctors at Hinduja Khar and Lilavati armed us with enough information to ensure panic would not set in. We informed the BMC of my status and amped up everyone's vitamin intake.

Today after being retested for COVID-19, I am happy to say that I have tested negative.

My family is still following strict home isolation.

I  was totally asymptomatic and apart from the boredom that accompanies isolation had no other complaints.

I am continuing to take this forced time out as an opportunity to introspect and focus on life's smaller pleasures.

The days are spent meditating, catching up on ample OTT content and reading books I've long forgotten I'd bought.

We all held on to our  optimism and if there's one take away I have from this, is that there's nothing to fear but fear itself.

Corona felt like a looming, distant and scary phantom that we took every precaution to avoid and even then it found a way to enter what we thought was a completely sanitised space.

Yet, here we are, dealing with it and getting on with our lives.

It's unfair to test people's loyalty when your world feels like it's caving in on you. It's such a strange time that a seasonal sneeze or cough feels like something more sinister.

As hard as it is for the people isolating, it's tougher still for their caregivers.

For being by our side in these challenging times, I'd like to say aloud and resonating thank you to all our support staff.

I'd like to take a breath to thank all the wonderful friends and family that have offered their unwavering support, whether it be through endless facetime calls or home remedies steeped in love and haldi!

A special thank you to my brother in law Dr Deepak Ugra for standing by us like our personal medico superman. Doctors and medical workers are the real superheroes and no amount of praise can do justice to their service.

The silver lining here is that the earth is healing. Ecosystems are restoring themselves, wildlife is reclaiming its rightful space.

Not only nature, but relationships are blossoming too.

People may physically be staying apart but are emotionally and mentally getting closer to loved ones. We're all becoming cooks and hobbyists or just taking this time to decompress and be.

Maybe this is the levelling up process we needed for the dawn of a new World and I for one am looking forward to waking up to it.

Love and Light,

Kiran.