“I’ll be frank. COVID got me.”
This was the update that Vilma Santos shared on social media after being on hiatus in the public eye for quite some time.
In the video on November 2, Vilma first greeted her fans, addressing them as “Vilmanians.”
She then disclosed that she is suffering from a condition called “long COVID-19”.
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“Alam ko po medyo matagal niyo kong hinanap. Well, I’ll be frank. COVID got me. At ibang klase po yung COVID ko. Negative na ko pero ito daw yung tinawag nilang ‘long COVID’, yung nagkaroon ng mga complications,” Vilma said.
“I had an asthma attack and then nagkaroon ng mga fluctuating BP (blood pressure), headache,” she added.
The multi-awarded actress also explained that she needs to keep resting to fully recover.
Vilma also could not help but quip about her age.
“Kahit po anong ingat ang ginawa ko. Nakuha pa rin po ako ng COVID. So ang advice po ng mga doctors sakin, I really had to rest. In fact, up to now, kelangan mejo rest lang muna because alam naman nating lahat na 35 years old na ko. Kelangan talaga extra ingat,” she said.
The former representative of Batangas then stressed that the COVID-19 pandemic still persists.
“But before anything, sa inyo pong lahat, see? Kahit na ano pong ingat ang gawin ko, nakuha parin ako ng COVID. So gusto ko lang pong ipaalala sa inyong lahat, please, please, COVID is still here,” she said.
The 69-year-old actress further told her fellow seniors to be “careful” not to contract the highly communicable disease.
“You really have to be careful. Hindi po talaga madali. Maski po ako mahirapan,” Vilma said.
Vilma ended her video by expressing deep gratitude to the doctors who have been taking care of her during her recovery period.
“Hindi ko kayo malilimutan,” Vilma said.
The actress also thanked those who greeted her on her birthday on November 3.
Moreover, Vilma also promised Vilmanians that she will be back in the limelight soon.
“Babalik din tayo,” she said.
Vilma is a stellar actress, producer and a former public official.
In her acting career, Vilma won multiple times at the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Awards (FAMAS), one of the most prestigious awarding ceremonies for movies in the country.
Vilma is known in the entertainment industry as the “Star of All Seasons.”
