News24 posted "Drake won't stand for hair haters: 'I had Covid – don't diss!'" featuring Visha Skincare founder, Dr. Purvisha Patel's expert insights on a type of hair shedding associated with the COVID-19 virus called telogen effluvium (TE).
What started as a joke about a hairline, took a bit of a serious turn when Drake reacted to a fan who asked why the heart on his head looked a little “stressed”. The fan, @drizzy_drake_vids, took to his Instagram page and posted two pictures of Drake, who has a heart shaved into his hairline. The first photo shows the rapper’s complete heart but in the second only the top of it is visible. “That heart is stressed,” the fan posted. It was not long until Champagne Papi himself took to the comments. “I had Covid. That sh** grew in weird. I had to start again; it’s coming back. Don’t diss,” Drake’s comment read. The 34-year-old rapper revealed that he had Covid-19, and while it’s not clear when he tested positive, he’s still experiencing side effects like hair loss. The rapper saw the funny side of it, sharing laughing emojis as fans sent him well wishes on the post. “@champagnepapi take your time, your healing is priority. We'll be here waiting,” someone commented. More than a year into the pandemic, there are still many questions about the virus and how it affects people. Scientists and medical professions see more and more lingering side effects. Just recently the World Health Organisation warned that it could also have lasting health consequences, like long-term breathing difficulties or even heart damage. Hair loss is another. In a survey by Healthline, more than a third of 1 700 respondents have experienced this side effect after surviving Covid-19. According to specialist dermatologist Dr Purvisha Patel from the US, hair shedding associated with the virus is called telogen effluvium (TE). Patel says TE is a result of a major stress on the body, and it happens in response to physical as well as mental stress. “If you developed a Covid-19 infection, you might have gotten a double whammy, because TE can also result from the physical stress of an illness. What’s more, because the pandemic has lingered so long, and TE has been on an upsurge throughout, hair regrowth may be impacted,” Patel says. In March last year Drake opened about his experience with the virus after he was in contact with NBA star Kevin Durant, who tested positive. “Yeah, I had to get tested, but it came back negative. The test was uncomfortable though. They put that Q-tip all the way (points to his nose) in your thoughts and s**t,” he said. The One Dance rapper is not the only celeb who’s been suffering with side effects. We look at some other stars who’ve experienced little-known Covid-19 symptoms long after testing positive.
ALYSSA MILANO
The 48-year-old actress best known for her role in Charmed tested positive for Covid-19 in April this year but recently said she went back to hospital on 8 August because of a “shortness of breath” and a “real heaviness” in her chest. Months after her recovery she took to Twitter sharing a video where she demonstrated the hair loss she also experienced, just like Drake, and also said she had “brain fog”. “I’m now five months out and I’m still having debilitating symptoms on some days. It’s hard, especially when you’re an actor and so much of your identity is wrapped up in those things like having long silky hair and clean skin,” she said.LENA DUNHAM
The actress and producer says she got sick in March, when she experienced all the usual symptoms like fever, headache and a “hacking cough”. The 35-year-old Girls actress recovered and tested again after a month. The results were negative but she still had unusual symptoms. “I had swollen hands and feet, an unceasing migraine and fatigue that limited my every move,” she said.CHRIS CUOMO
He had a relatively mild case of Covid when he tested positive in April this year, but the 51-year-old CNN news anchor says by July he was still experiencing Covid symptoms. He says it’s affected his mental health and he even struggles to recover from workouts the way he did before. “I’ve got brain fog that won’t go away. I’ve got an onset of clinical depression, which is not sadness but depression. I never had it before. I have it now,” he said.ANNA CAMP
A month after the Pitch Perfect star tested positive for Covid-19 she’s still struggling with symptoms. The 38-year-old American tested positive in July and her sense of smell is back to only 30% now, she says. “Other persistent symptoms are dizziness, extreme fatigue, impacted sinuses, upset stomach, nausea, vomiting, and fever,” she posted on Instagram, adding that the virus was unlike any other illness she’s experienced and encouraging people to take the necessary precautions.GWYNETH PALTROW
The 48-year-old American actress and businesswoman called herself a “long-hauler” saying months after testing positive she still had side-effects. “I had Covid-19 early on, and it left me with some long-tail fatigue and brain fog,” she said. Some of her other side effects include headaches, insomnia, body aches and joint pain.