After the announcement that she tested positive for COVID-19, Whoopi Goldberg offered an update during Wednesday’s episode of The View.
Goldberg explained that she had already begun distancing herself after being exposed to someone who had tested positive for COVID-19. She later learned that she was positive when she tested before returning to The View after holiday break.
“It was a shock because I’m triple-vaxxed. I haven’t been anywhere, I haven’t done anything,” she said to her fellow co-hosts. “But that’s the thing about the omicron [variant], you just don’t know where it is, who’s got it, who’s passing it.”
She added, “It’s one of those things where you think, ‘I’ve done everything I was supposed to do.’ Yeah, it doesn’t stop omicron and that’s the problem with a variant because it gets stronger and does different stuff to you. Unless everybody gets vaccinated, this is what we’re going to be facing for the next little while.”
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Joy Behar went on to say that they were all “particularly concerned” about Goldberg given that she’d had pneumonia a few years before. But Goldberg said she wasn’t worried because she believes “you can only do what you can do” and safety protocols are being put in effect everywhere.
“You got to stay home. I have no complaints. I have a very nice house. Of course my fam[ily] is here, and they’ve all been hiding in their rooms as well,” she said. She also revealed that she is now the only person in the household who still has COVID-19.
“Every now and then I just want to kick the door open,” she quipped of being secluded. Though she says it could’ve been “much worse,” it wasn’t, and she feels “really lucky.”
When The View co-host Sunny Hostin asked for Goldberg’s thoughts on those continuing to remain unvaccinated, Goldberg said everyone can keep advising people to get vaccinated until “you’re blue in the face,” but it’s important to “keep saying it.”
“I don’t know how much more proof people need to see that the vaccination, while it does not necessarily stop it from happening again, it is not happening at the same rate that it was happening. … If you can get vaccinated … do yourself a favor,” she said. “COVID and omicron don’t care about your politics.”
Later on, Goldberg shared that her quarantine routine has consisted of “listening to lots of books,” “slowly opening Christmas presents” that she managed to put in her room, and “eating some really nice food.”
When Goldberg expressed hopes that she’ll return to The View soon, Behar informed her that she was told Goldberg would return Monday.
The View hosts have all appeared on the program remotely amid the omicron surge. Hostin, who is vaccinated and boosted, said she tested positive for COVID-19 before Christmas. Meanwhile, Ana Navarro revealed that her father tested positive for COVID and Sara Haines’ husband also contracted the virus.
CHECKING IN WITH WHOOPI ❤️ After testing positive for a COVID-19 breakthrough case over the holidays, our @WhoopiGoldberg joins us live from home to tell us how she's doing and shares that she plans to return to #TheView on Monday! https://t.co/lDUQhbImTQ pic.twitter.com/p0boaPAmWD
— The View (@TheView) January 6, 2022
