Andrew Watt, who served as producer and guitarist on Ozzy Osbourne's new Ordinary Man album, has revealed that he has tested positive for the coronavirus.

He said he's sharing so he could help "bring awareness to the severity of what's happening in the world." You can see his entire Instagram post below.

"Twelve days ago, early morning of March 6, I started feeling like I was hit by a bus," Watt explained. "I couldn't move out of my bed for days and started to run a fever." After being told by a doctor that he couldn't possibly have the coronavirus, Watt nevertheless quarantined himself.

He said when his symptoms got worse, he went to an emergency room and "begged" to be tested for the virus, but was turned down because of federal regulations and instead diagnosed with viral pneumonia. "A private doctor was finally able to test me himself," Watt noted. "Yesterday afternoon it came back positive for COVID-19."

Watt recalled that his fever has gone down, and his appetite has returned to some degree, but he's still having trouble breathing as a result of the pneumonia.

"I am a healthy young man, and I am going to get through this, no matter what," Watt concluded. "But there are so many people in my life and in the world that could possibly not get through this due to their age and/or a compromised immune system. ... This is why I am writing this post. I can't stress this enough ... this is not a joke. Stay inside, stay sanitized. Please stop everything and take care of yourselves and the people you love around you until we are all through this. To have the mentality, 'I'm young, this can't affect me,' is just straight-up stupid and so dangerous to everyone around you. Social distancing is to protect someone's mom and dad, someone's grandmother ... it's not about you. It's about everyone together fighting this as a team. Stay safe."

The virus has caused widespread hospitalizations and fatalities around the globe, leading government and health officials to implore Americans to stay home and isolated in an effort to curtail the spread of infections. Music, sporting and cultural events of all kinds have been postponed or canceled as a result of the pandemic.

 

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