US actor Tom Hanks says he tested positive for COVID-19

WASHINGTON

U.S. actor Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson announced Wednesday that they have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

In a statement on Instagram, Hanks said they are in Australia and started to feel "a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches."

"Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too. To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the Coronavirus, and were found to be positive," said Hanks.

The couple will be tested, observed and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires.

The novel coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, was first detected last December in Wuhan, China but has since spread to more than 105 countries.

The global death toll from the virus is nearly 4,600 with more than 125,000 confirmed cases, according to Johns Hopkins University in the U.S.

The announcement comes on the same day the World Health Organization officially termed the spread of COVID-19 a global pandemic and as the U.S. capital declared a state of emergency.