“Out of respect for those for whom contracting the virus has had more serious consequences, I decided it would be best not to share the news. I certainly didn’t want to unnecessarily alarm my fans and also wished to protect my family’s privacy,” he continued.
The tenor added that he and his family members “were fortunate enough to have a swift and full recovery by the end of March,” and that he and his wife decided to donate their plasma this week to help aid COVID-19 research.
“Given the chance to donate blood to help find a cure for COVID, my response was an immediate ‘yes.’ A modest—but fundamental—gesture, through which I am playing my small part,” he said.
His recovery from the virus, which originated last year in Wuhan, China, came shortly before he gave a powerful Easter performance at Milan’s iconic Duomo cathedral on April 12, which was live-streamed all over the world.
The plasma is currently being investigated by researchers in the treatment of COVID-19—the disease caused by the CCP virus—because there is no approved treatment and there is some information that suggests it might help some patients recover.
Those who have fully recovered from virus and have had a complete resolution of symptoms for at least 14 days are being encouraged to consider donating plasma as it could potentially help save the lives of other patients. However, it must only be collected from recovered individuals if they are eligible to donate blood.
