Arielle Charnas: Instagram influencer tells followers she has coronavirus

Charnas revealed on Instagram she had been suffering from a sore throat and headache

Arielle Charnas tells Instagram followers she has coronavirus (Getty)

Fashion blogger Arielle Charnas has announced she tested positive for coronavirus, days after informing her 1.3m Instagram followers that she wasn't feeling well.

On Monday, Charnas, who runs the lifestyle brand Something Navy, revealed on Instagram that she had been experiencing a fever, sore throat, and headache.

In response, multiple followers advised the influencer to get tested for Covid-19, according to BuzzFeed. However, according to Charnas, she had initially been told that she did not meet the criteria to be tested for the virus in New York City, which has authorised access to tests only for those who are considered high-risk, and was instead told by a doctor to quarantine herself at home.

But, in another update to her followers, Charnas said that her friend, Dr Jake Deutsch, who runs the Cure Urgent Care facility on the Upper West Side of New York City, said he would test her for both coronavirus and the flu from her car.

Charnas documented the entire testing procedure on Instagram, before informing her followers that she tested negative for the flu and would know the results from the coronavirus test in a few days.

While many of her followers expressed concern over her health, others were angered by Charnas’ ability to gain access to a test despite not being considered a high-risk case.

“It's amazing how quickly these massive influencers, celebs, and sports stars can get tested ASAP while countless average people struggle to get the medical attention and testing they need,” New York Times reporter Taylor Lorenz tweeted.

Another person tweeted: “THE LATEST COOL NEW PERK FOR INFLUENCERS - getting tested quickly for coronavirus, while everyone else waits.”

“I'm sorry, but this should NOT be happening!! If you don't qualify for testing, using your influence to get tested should not prevent others who NEED to get tested!” someone else wrote.

On Wednesday, the 31-year-old announced on Instagram that she had tested positive for the virus.

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Beginning her post acknowledging that “there are many individuals, both in New York City, and nationwide, who do not have the ability to receive immediate medical care at the first sign of sickness,” and that she understands how “lucky” she is, Charnas wrote: “This morning, I learned that I tested positive for Covid-19.”

According to Charnas, she took what she believed to be the “quick precautions necessary to protect the health and safety” of both her family and the people around her by getting tested.

“While this virus seems to be everywhere that you turn, it’s meaning and importance completely changes when it affects you personally,” Charnas continued, adding that she had also been following the precautions recommended by the CDC and encouraged her followers to do the same.

In the post, the influencer also said she is following her doctor’s instructions to quarantine and self-isolate and that her two daughters have not displayed symptoms of the virus so far, but that she and her husband are “watching them super closely”.

Charnas concluded her post reminding her followers of the power of social media.

“We are truly living in an unprecedented time, but if social media has shown us anything in the past couple of days, it’s that we are all in this together,” she said. “I know that many of you are scared and anxious, but please stay calm, follow the directive of the medical and government communities and please be kind to each other.”

Charnas’ ability to gain access to a coronavirus test comes amid mounting criticism over the ease with which celebrities and other public figures have been able to get tested, despite a shortage of tests in the US.

Last week, all 58 members of the Utah Jazz basketball team were able to get tested for coronavirus after a teammate tested positive.

Celebrities including Celine Dion, Heidi Klum and Kris Jenner have all been tested for the virus as well, according to BuzzFeed.

As of Wednesday, there are more than 8,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the US.