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Sarah Palin revealed her upsetting coronavirus diagnosis on Instagram, and now she’s opening up to People about her condition, calling it proof that “anyone can catch this.”
Palin, 57, explained, “As confident as I’d like to be about my own health, and despite my joking that I’m blessed to constantly breathe in the most sterile (frozen!) air, my case is perhaps one of those that proves anyone can catch this.”
Palin's daughter was the first member of the family to experience symptoms. She explained, "[O]ne of my daughters awoke to having lost her sense of taste and smell [and] immediately had a positive COVID test, then was quarantined in isolation."
Later, Palin noticed her son had the same symptoms. "I then observed symptoms in my son Trig, who curiously is the most enthusiastic mask-wearer, and after our numerous negative tests over the year, he tested positive. Children with special needs are vulnerable to COVID ramifications [Trig was born with Down syndrome], so with a high fever he was prescribed azithromycin, which really seemed to help, and I increased amounts of vitamins I put in his puréed food."
Palin says she "buckled down in isolated quarantine" and actually continued to test negative. However, she eventually started exhibiting her own symptoms. "Symptoms started overnight with a slight fever and sore muscles," she told People.
The more specific COVID symptoms, like loss of taste and smell, confirmed her suspicions that the "unmistakable COVID caught me."
"That day I finally tested positive — like millions of other Americans," Palin added.
Palin added that the virus can "really knock you down," and encouraged everyone to remain vigilant about their health and the public health.
"I strongly encourage everyone to use common sense to avoid spreading this and every other virus out there," she said. "There are more viruses than there are stars in the sky, meaning we'll never avoid every source of illness or danger ... But please be vigilant, don't be frightened, and I advise reprioritizing some personal time and resources to ensure as healthy a lifestyle as you can create so when viruses do hit, you have at least some armor to fight it."