‘Take COVID seriously’: Pia Wurtzbach catches virus in UK

MANILA, Philippines – Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach has caught COVID-19 in the United Kingdom and is currently recovering in isolation with her sister Sarah Wurtzbach, who also caught it.

In a post on Instagram on Friday, January 7, Pia stressed the reality of COVID-19, saying that she still caught it despite taking health precautions such as getting fully vaccinated and boosted, getting flu and pneumonia shots, eating healthy and staying active.

“I got all the symptoms too. Fever, sore throat, body pain, runny nose, cough, and I also lost my sense of smell and taste,” she shared.

“It’s not like a regular cold or flu that goes away after a few days. I’ve never been sick for this long, which lasted more than a week,” she said.

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A post shared by Pia Wurtzbach (@piawurtzbach)

She said that she and her sister have since tested negative for the virus and are one day away from completing their isolation, but she was quick to caution followers to “take this seriously.”

“Guys, COVID is so real. My timeline shows that many have/had it too, both in the Philippines and abroad. And the numbers are going up exponentially. Please take this seriously cos anyone can get it no matter how healthy you are,” she said.

She added that being fully vaccinated won’t prevent people from getting the virus “but it helps you overcome it.”

She urged people to follow health and safety protocols and keep their guards up. 

She also urged people to be more responsible and called out those who break quarantine protocols and go out even after testing positive.

“Feeling nila, di sila mahuhuli or wala namang nagbabantay. I’ve personally seen other people do this. Meron pa diyan, may symptoms na and have the means to get tested pero ayaw nilang maconfirm na may COVID sila, tas lalabas parin. Naku, konsensiya niyo nalang yan. Konting personal accountability, please,” she said.

(They think they won’t get caught or no one is watching. I’ve personally seen other people do this. There are also those who already have symptoms and have the means to get tested but they don’t want to confirm that they have COVID and they still go out. That’s on your conscience. A little personal accountability, please.)

“I don’t wanna sound preachy but let’s not be selfish and go breaking protocols, hoarding supplies, refusing to get tested and vaccinated,” she said.

Pia ended her post by reminding people of what they can do to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

“I hope we can start 2022 right. Let’s look after one other by getting those jabs, staying in isolation if needed, stop gathering in big groups, frequent hand washing, and please wear those masks properly,” she said.

Pia has been staying in the UK, where her family is based, to be with them for the holidays.

The United Kingdom is currently battling a COVID-19 surge fueled by the highly transmissible Omicron variant. They currently count over 14 million cases after recording 179,756 new cases on Thursday, January 6.

The situation is similar in the Philippines, where COVID-19 cases spiked to nearly 3 million after tallying 17,220 new cases on Thursday – the highest number of confirmed cases since September 27, 2021. – Rappler.com