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Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton says he checked if he needed to test for COVID-19, as he addressed speculation about his health following contact with people who have coronavirus.
Hamilton has shared a note on social media addressing “some speculation about my health”, in relation to being at an event with actor Idris Elba and Sophie Trudeau at the start of March.
Elba and Trudeau have since tested positive for the coronavirus.
“The truth is there is a limited amount of tests available and there are people who need it more than I do” :: Lewis Hamilton
Hamilton travelled to Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix after that event and expressed his shock in the build-up that the race was going ahead amid the pandemic.
But the opening round of the season was subsequently cancelled after a member of McLaren was diagnosed with COVID-19 and the team withdrew.
Six-time world champion Hamilton stayed in Australia following the cancellation, sharing images of him rock climbing and surfing, but said he made an effort to distance himself from others.
“I wanted to let you know that I’m doing well, feeling healthy and working out twice a day,” Hamilton wrote.
“I have zero symptoms, and it’s now been 17 days since I saw Sophie and Idris.
“I have been in touch with Idris and happy to hear he is OK.
“I did speak to my doctor and double-checked if I needed to take a test but the truth is there is a limited amount of tests available and there are people who need it more than I do, especially when I wasn’t showing any symptoms at all.
“So what I’ve done is keep myself isolated this past week, actually since practice was cancelled last Friday, and kept my distance from people.”
Earlier this week, Hamilton shared a message on social media recognising that the coronavirus pandemic can “make people nervous” but urging them to “stay calm”.
He accompanied that message with a link to the UK health service the NHS’s official online advice about the virus, and a video of himself washing his hands to encourage others to do the same and instructing how to do so properly.
And in his message on Saturday, he added: “The most important thing everyone can do is stay positive, social distance yourself as best you can, self isolate if you need to, and regularly wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.”
