Daniel Dae Kim is calling out anti-Asian discrimination amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic after revealing he has tested positive. The Hawaii Five-0 and Lost star in an
Instagram post on Thursday said he tested positive for the new coronavirus after he began to feel scratchiness in his throat. Since then, though, he said he's been much better and is "pretty close" to "100 percent."Kim went on to rebuke discrimination and violence against Asian people amid reports of racist and xenophobic attacks in the United States."Please stop the prejudice and senseless violence against Asian people," Kim said. "Randomly beating elderly, sometimes homeless Asian-Americans is cowardly, heartbreaking, and it's inexcusable." He also called out those, including
President Trump, who continue to insist on labeling the coronavirus a "Chinese virus" because it originated in Wuhan. "Yes, I'm Asian," Kim said. "And yes, I have coronavirus. But I did not get it from China. I got it in America, in
New York City. And despite what certain political leaders want to call it, I don't consider the place where it's from as important as the people who are sick and dying. ... The name-calling gets us nowhere." Kim in his Instagram video additionally warned young people "who think this is not serious, please know that it is, and if you treat this without care, you are potentially endangering the lives of millions of people, including your loved ones."