source: People Magazine
Drake was one of the millions of people who contracted COVID-19 in the last year — and he’s still dealing with some lingering side effects.
The rapper, 34, revealed that he had the virus and it led to hair loss, which is finally improving now.
Drake shared the news on a fan’s Instagram post, where they had made fun of his hairline.
“That heart is stressed 💀😭,” the fan wrote, referring to a small heart that Drake has shaved into the top left of his head.
“I had COVID that s— grew in weird I had to start again 😂,” the “Hotline Bling” singer responded.
“It’s coming back don’t diss,” he added.
Temporary hair loss is a fairly common side effect of COVID-19, and a recent pre-print study from Indiana University found that around 33% of patients they surveyed noticed it as a symptom. Hair loss frequently happens due to stress, an effect called telogen effluvium, and severe illnesses like COVID-19 can stress out the body.
Actress Alyssa Milano has spoken openly about the “extreme hair loss” she’s dealt with in the months since contracting COVID-19, along with “brain fog.”
“It’s hard, especially when you’re an actor and so much of your identity is wrapped up in those things, like having long silky hair and clean skin,” she said in October. “Along with that also, I have the brain fog. Which, again, as an actress, as someone who has to memorize dialogue and be able to emote, and respond, and be on my toes, it’s frightening.”
Drake was one of the first celebrities to talk about getting tested for COVID-19, after he was exposed to the virus in March 2020 while hanging out with NBA star Kevin Durant, who had tested positive. The four-time Grammy winner said on an Instagram Live that month that he “had to get tested” after his exposure and it came back negative.
