Sipa via AP ImagesAmid his coronavirus diagnosis and resulting quarantine, Chris Cuomo's colleagues are missing him and rooting for him.
On Tuesday, the 49-year-old CNN anchor announced publicly that he has tested positive for coronavirus. "Sooooo in these difficult times that seem to get more difficult and complicated by the day, I just found out that I am positive for coronavirus," the journalist wrote in a note shared on Instagram. "I have been exposed to people in recent days who have subsequently tested positive and I had fever, chills and shortness of breath. I just hope I didn't give it to the kids and [my wife] Cristina. That would make me feel worse than this illness! I am quarantined in my basement (which actually makes the rest of the family seem pleased!) I will do my shows from here. We will all beat this by being smart and tough and united!"
By the evening, fellow CNN host Don Lemon took to his broadcast as usual, though was admittedly "distracted." CNN analyst Bianna Golodryga, who was also live on the show, comforted Lemon, saying, "You try to be stoic and focus on the headlines—it's tough, it's tough."
"I also feel for Chris and I know it's tough for you and we're all fighting and rooting for him tonight," she added.
Dabbing his eyes with a tissue, Lemon told her and viewers, "I said I wasn't going to do this. Jesus. He's probably sitting at home laughing at me. So, here's the thing—when I walk into work every day—Chris and I are really good friends, we live near each other—so, when I walk into work every day, I have to walk by where Chris is, so I usually go to his office and then I say, you know, what's doing, sometimes I bring in the dogs and we just say hello."
"Anyway, he's just not here and we have this great relationship," he added before blotting his tears again.
Golodryga recalled working at ABC with Cuomo and him being one of the first to congratulate her on her pregnancy, noting it meant she was healthy.
"Speaking of healthy, I don't know anybody else who is healthier than Chris and so, it was good to see his face on television tonight," she said.
Indeed, Cuomo was at the helm of his nightly broadcast on Tuesday, this time hosting from his basement, where he is quarantining away from his family.
"We do not have the testing data to make real sense of our reality beyond what we know is the face of it for an overwhelming number who get sick—and that face is mine," he said as he began the show. "I tested positive, scary yes as you might imagine, but better me than you. My concern is what I may have put on my family, just like you would. That is hurting me way more than anything the virus can do."