The outbreak of Covid-19 was first identified in China in December 2019.
However, Whoopi Goldberg believes the illness she was struck down with early last year may have been an early form of the coronavirus that has caused a global pandemic.
The Ghost actress, 64, was admitted to hospital in March 2019 for several weeks, suffering from pneumonia and sepsis.
In an interview on the UK's Loose Women TV show this week, in which she appeared by video link from her home in New York, Goldberg said her illness shared similarities with Covid-19.
“I personally think that people like me last year had some form of this and it evolved into Covid-19,” she said.
'I'd never been that sick': Goldberg urges people to socially distance
“But this is no joke, because I was in the hospital for about a month. I’d never been that sick in my life. It was crazy.”
The actress, who is a panellist on US chat show The View, was off work between February and March.
Goldberg, who has won Tony, Emmy, Grammy and Academy Awards, urged viewers to follow government advice and practise social distancing.
"[The government have] basically said you want to keep yourself away from people or you want to make sure you have on a mask," she said. "And I’m a believer that if you’re telling me the way to get rid of this thing is to wear a mask and to stay in my house, I’m not going to doubt it."
Acknowledging that many people are feeling stir-crazy after months of staying at home, the Sister Act star was insistent that people needed to have patience.
"People are dying and we've got to pay attention. Of course people are saying 'we want to go back to work', 'we want to get out'. [We can't] until we're at a place where we've got a handle on this," she said of the situation in the US.
More from UAE Human Development Report:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULTS
6.30pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
Winner: Superior, Connor Beasley (jockey), Ahmad bin Harmash (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap Dh 185,000 2,000m
Winner: Tried And True, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
7.40pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
Winner: Roy Orbison, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
8.15pm
Handicap Dh 190,000 1,400m
Winner: Taamol, Dane O’Neill, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
8.50pm
Handicap Dh 175,000 1,600m
Winner: Welford, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
9.25pm: Handicap Dh 175,000 1,200m
Winner: Lavaspin, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
10pm: Handicap Dh 165,000 1,600m
Winner: Untold Secret, Xavier Ziani, Sandeep Jadhav
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Tales of Yusuf Tadros
Adel Esmat (translated by Mandy McClure)
Hoopoe
Tips from the expert
Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.
- Sellers should focus on providing high-quality used goods at attractive prices to buyers.
- It’s important to use clear and appealing photos, with catchy titles and detailed descriptions to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
- Try to advertise a realistic price to attract buyers looking for good deals, especially in the current environment where consumers are significantly more price-sensitive.
- Be creative and look around your home for valuable items that you no longer need but might be useful to others.
MORE ON TURKEY'S SYRIA OFFENCE
Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
LAST-16 EUROPA LEAGUE FIXTURES
Wednesday (Kick-offs UAE)
FC Copenhagen (0) v Istanbul Basaksehir (1) 8.55pm
Shakhtar Donetsk (2) v Wolfsburg (1) 8.55pm
Inter Milan v Getafe (one leg only) 11pm
Manchester United (5) v LASK (0) 11pm
Thursday
Bayer Leverkusen (3) v Rangers (1) 8.55pm
Sevilla v Roma (one leg only) 8.55pm
FC Basel (3) v Eintracht Frankfurt (0) 11pm
Wolves (1) Olympiakos (1) 11pm
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
