Former UFC heavyweight turned comedian and podcaster Brendan Schaub has tested positive for the novel coronavirus COVID-19. Schaub, who is host of the podcasts The Fighter and The Kid, King and the Sting, and Below the Belt, revealed his diagnosis on Thursday night’s episode of TFATK.
Schaub had spent months downplaying the severity of the virus across his various podcasts and even recently went back on tour in the middle of the pandemic.
Ultimately, it all caught up to him.
But while Schaub is positive for COVID-19, he continues to say that the symptoms are not that severe and that he is doing fine.
“I never said it was not real or anything like that. I went about living my life. I got it, and you know what? I’m fine!” Schaub said. “Just like what my doctor told me, what you’re experiencing, 97% of all people who get corona, experience the same thing. I’m fine. My family’s fine. I’ve bunkered down, I quarantined and that’s what it is.
“I don’t agree that (we did everything wrong). If you were any older, had underlying issues like obesity or diabetes, or pneumonia before, yeah, you shouldn’t be on tour.”
Schaub’s co-host, Bryan Callen, was on tour with Schaub and admitted they could have been safer while initially returning to the road.
“Brendan and I did everything wrong in Texas,” Callen said. “We basically practiced no social distancing, got up in front of 350 people as they were laughing at us, and shouting at us. We got off stage, didn’t change mics, shared it.”
You can check out the beginning of the podcast where Schaub reveals his positive diagnosis below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13IT5qweXSY
The coronavirus began spreading from animals and a majority of those who were infected early either worked at or frequently visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, according to The Guardian. The virus is similar to Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers).
The Wuhan coronavirus is transmitted from person to person through “droplet transmission.” That means an infected person can pass the virus by sneezing or coughing on another person as well as by direct contact.
While a majority of the cases have been detected in the United States and China — with more than 128,000 deaths in the United States — it has now reached many countries around the world. It has also been confirmed in Italy, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and many other eastern countries.
