Shawn Johnson Opens Up About Her COVID-19 Diagnosis
The last couple weeks have been a whirlwind for Shawn Johnson. The gymnast announced she was pregnant with her second child on January 15 in an Instagram post. Just a couple weeks later, she revealed that a positive COVID-19 diagnosis has complicated her pregnancy.
Johnson disclosed her diagnosis on her Instagram Story (via People) on January 31 and admitted that she's "nervous" about having the potentially life-threatening illness. "My body is exhausted," she said. Johnson added that she is also worried her husband, Andrew East, and her daughter, Drew Hazel, will catch the virus from her.
Another concern is that she has asthma — a condition which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have warned could put those with COVID at a greater risk. Fortunately, Johnson has been faring well since her diagnosis. "So far, I have a cough, terrible sore throat and headache," she said. "Fatigue for sure but... that's pregnancy haha. Not looking for any kind of pity party. Just a reminder to take care of yourself. Drink an extra water tonight and wash your hands."
The pandemic has been difficult for Shawn Johnson
This isn't the first time Johnson's family has grappled with the virus. The Olympian revealed in her Story that a relative had previously contracted COVID-19. Johnson herself has also struggled with anxiety in the wake of the pandemic, especially since she has a baby in the house.
"There's all these new worries and fears you have in general about taking care of your kid and making the right decisions and protecting them," she told Good Morning America last year. "For me, quarantine has been this massive anxiety and fear of how do I keep my baby, our baby, healthy? How do you go to the grocery store and not risk bringing it home?"
While adjusting to quarantine life was a challenge for the young family, Johnson has expressed her happiness that they've been able to grow closer together during the pandemic. "I think what I've appreciated is, usually us as a family, we're always going a hundred miles an hour, so we're traveling every week throughout the month, constantly doing something new, and we never have time to really be at home, so this is kind of a new thing for us, and it's been awesome being able to have family time every day," she previously told Page Six