‘Good Doctor’ star Richard Schiff hospitalized for COVID-19

The Good Doctor (Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on CTV) star Richard Schiff has been hospitalized after contracting COVID-19 earlier this month. The actor shared an update with fans revealing his new status on November 16, staying positive as he and his wife Sheila Kelley, who also tested positive for the disease, continue to heal.“Thank you all for so much love and support,” the 65-year-old wrote on Twitter. “You’re making it so much easier for @thesheilakelley and me. I am in the hospital on Remdesivir, O2 and steroids showing some improvement every day. Sheila is home and doing better but still fairly ill. Love you all.”Schiff previously told fans that he and his wife tested positive for coronavirus on US election day, November 3. “This has been the most bizarre week of our lives,” he Tweeted on November 10. “This is tough. We are determined to find a way to health again. We root for everyone out there who are struggling with this thing. Love from here.”

Covid update.Thank you all for so much love and support. You’re making it so much easier for @thesheilakelley and me.I am in the hospital on Remdesivir, O2 and steroids showing some improvement every day. Sheila is home and doing better but still fairly ill. Love you all. https://t.co/sWjOetsgUP

— Richard Schiff (@Richard_Schiff) November 16, 2020

Kelley also updated fans on her Instagram page, revealing Schiff’s hospitalization while sharing details about her own experiences with coronavirus symptoms. “I have never experienced anything like this before in my life,” she wrote. “One minute I’m feeling pretty good and the next I’m struggling to breathe.” In another slide she then reminded everyone to stay safe and to take care of themselves. “Where did we catch it? I don’t know. Could have been the gym. Could’ve been take out. It’s impossible to know. Keep masking up. Washing hands. Stay away from this virus. It is a mother’f-er. We love you.”

 

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It’s not clear exactly when Schiff was hospitalized, but The Good Doctor has remained in production ever since he tested positive. Series are only required to shut down if someone on set has had a positive test, and Schiff has been filming his role of Dr. Aaron Glassman remotely and outdoors in order to minimize his risk. Kelley also plays the character’s onscreen wife, Debbie Wexler, so as of right now production has shifted things around in order to accommodate their absences as they recover together.Following the season four premiere of the medical drama on November 9, TVLine interviewed showrunner David Shore about Glassman’s storyline, which allowed Schiff to isolate away from the rest of the cast. “We will see him back in the hospital as time goes on, and as we become more comfortable with our own safety precautions [on set],” he revealed at the time. “We won’t lighten them, but we will feel more comfortable with certain things. Part of the decision in that first episode was, yeah, he is an older member of our cast, relatively speaking. We’ve got a basically young cast and older people are more vulnerable, and we were aware of that.”In its two-part premiere, The Good Doctor covered the current pandemic as a part of the story, but moving forward the show is choosing to center itself in a post-pandemic world. In order to make sure they aren’t sending the wrong message to fans about not wearing masks or respecting social distancing, star Freddie Highmore will deliver a PSA in advance of each airing.“Beyond those first two episodes, we are moving towards a more hopeful future that hopefully everyone will be able to live in, and soon,” Highmore told etalk during a recent international press junket for the show. “We're going to, of course, remind people that the reality that people are living in today might not be reflected on screen, and that it is incredibly important to take all the precautions necessary to stay safe in our lives.”The Good Doctor airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on CTV.[video_embed id='2078239']Before you go: Freddie Highmore dishes on season 4 of 'The Good Doctor'[/video_embed]