Alyssa Milano losing her hair in coronavirus battle

On August 12, 2020, reports highlighted actress Alyssa Milano’s public statements regarding her experience with long-term COVID-19 symptoms, specifically hair loss. Milano posted a video on Twitter demonstrating a significant amount of hair coming out in her brush after a single brushing, attributing the loss to her battle with the virus and urging her followers to wear masks.

According to her social media posts, Milano began experiencing symptoms in March 2020, which included a fever, severe headaches, chest pressure, loss of smell, confusion, and a nine-pound weight loss over two weeks. She described lingering symptoms over the following four months, including vertigo, stomach abnormalities, irregular periods, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, general malaise, and short-term memory issues. Although her initial diagnostic tests for the virus came back negative, she later tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies through a laboratory blood draw. Describing herself as a long-hauler, she criticized the virus testing system as flawed.

The report noted that hair loss is a documented issue among some individuals recovering from the virus. A survey conducted by Survivor Corps and Natalie Lambert, an associate research professor of medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine, found that out of more than 1,500 surveyed long-haulers, 423 participants reported experiencing hair loss.