Ed O'Brien says he has most probably had coronavirus

Ed O'Brien told fans on Monday 23 March that he has been at home with flu-like symptoms for some days and that it is most probably the coronavirus. He posted the statement on Instagram and Twitter. He has not been tested, because kits are scarce and, he wrote, the vulnerable need them more.

About 10 days into the illness he lost his sense of smell and taste, he told Steven Hyden of Uproxx in a phone call the same day. I Googled it last night and that’s a classic symptom of the coronavirus³

The call was meant to be about Earth, his first solo album as EOB, which is still due on 17 April. He thinks he caught the virus about two weeks ago in Paris, where he had gone for a television appearance on a round-the-world promotional trip for the record.

He spoke as England was getting ready for lockdown. He is isolating in Wales, apart from his family, and says he is in no danger. For someone like myself, this is just a bad dose of the flu.³ I basically sat outside all day because the weather is glorious. It’s the first sunshine we’ve had this spring. It’s not a bad place to be.¹