Dr. Oz will be filming his show from his home studio after a staffer was diagnosed with coronavirus.
The news came Wednesday after the program’s showrunner Amy Chiaro said that ‘a staff member’ who works on the New York City-based health program tested positive for COVID-19.
The message came on the same day talk show host Wendy Williams was seen in his green room updating fans about how she’s been amid the national pandemic, which has U.S. citizens adapting to a new way of life.
The latest: Dr. Oz will be filming his show from his home studio after a staffer was diagnosed with coronavirus, which was learned after talk show host Wendy Williams was seen in his green room updating fans about how she’s been amid the national pandemic
Chiaro told staffers in a company email that ‘only 1 staff member has been tested at this time (that we are aware of),’ and urged ‘everyone to wrap up their work … and head home,’ Page Six reported Wednesday.
Chiaro said that the staffer ‘was based out of that office space’ in New York City, and that show show will ‘take every necessary measure to have the offices and office areas deep cleaned ASAP.’
Chiaro said ‘the staff member was sent home Thursday when exhibiting a symptom of a dry cough,’ noting that health officials ‘believe the virus lasts on surfaces for two to three days.’
This time-frame bodes well for Williams, who was backstage at the show on Wednesday preparing ‘to ask real people questions’ on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19, as governmental officials are advising people to stay in their homes and socially distance from one another in an effort to flatten the curve of the pandemic.
Focused: Dr. Oz was key in getting the test for the staffer amid a massive scarcity of available tests in the U.S.
Getting involved: Williams, who was backstage at the show on Wednesday preparing ‘to ask real people questions’ on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19
‘I’m in the green room at Dr. Oz,’ she said in a social media clip, noting that the TV personality invited her to come on his show. ‘I’m like, “Are you out of my mind, I’m not leaving my house.”‘
She said she later changed her mind, thinking it would be a good chance to get out of the house.
Dr. Oz, who’s remained on the air amid the outbreak of the virus, was practicing strict social distancing and key in getting the test for the staffer amid a massive scarcity of available tests in the U.S., a source told the outlet.
‘His symptoms were subtle and he was sent home,’ the source said. He didn’t go home thinking he had coronavirus, but Dr. Oz wanted to be overly cautious and insisted he get the test.
‘He personally intervened and it turned out to be the right move. Oz has been doing shows on the topic and knew doctors who had access, so he was able to fast-track it to get the test.’
The insider said that the guests who have been in the studio since are on ‘a long shortlist of people they’re in the process of notifying,’ including the crew and staffers.
Should be OK: This time-frame bodes well for Williams, who was backstage at the show on Wednesday, six days after the staffer was sent home
Practice what you preach: Dr. Oz, who’s remained on the air amid the outbreak of the virus, has encouraged strict social distancing amid the outbreak. He was pictured in NYC last week
The massive impact of coronavirus has touched a number of celebrities, as Hollywood stars such as Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson and Idris Elba, as well as NBA standouts Kevin Durant, Rudy Goebert and Donovan Mitchell, have all tested positive for COVID-19.
The initial case of the disease was detected in late December in Wuhan, China, which has more than 11 million residents and is a hub of outgoing and incoming flights.
It has since spread rapidly around the world, including the U.S., as all 50 states have had a resident test positive for the virus.
The initial case in the U.S. stemmed out of Everett, Washington, where a resident who’d come back from Wuhan was diagnosed with the virus. Slightly more than half of the deaths have been in Washington State, with at least 30 deaths tied to a Seattle-area nursing home.
As of Wednesday evening, the death total for COVID-19 – declared a public health emergency by World Health Organization – had soared to 112 people in the U.S., The COVID Tracking Project reported, with 7,731 total positive diagnoses.