The 'Forrest Gump' actor and his wife haven't received their coronavirus jab as they're told they are 'not old enough' to receive priority access to the vaccine.
- April 4, 2021
AceShowbiz - Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks have not received their Covid-19 vaccine yet.
The Hollywood couple - who famously battled the virus last year (20) - are in line to receive their jab but are "not old enough" yet.
"It's been so emotional. We haven't gotten our vaccine yet," Rita, 64, explained on U.S. TV show "Today". "How about hearing this for the first time in your life: You're not old enough.' It's like, 'OK, I'll take that.' We are in line now because so many people are vaccinated and they're opening up to the next tier."
And Rita can't wait for more people to get vaccinated, so that life can get back to normal.
"Yes, even when we found out we had antibodies and that was extraordinary because you knew you had some protection, that's what the vaccine is also helping people," she said. "To witness people hugging each other for the first time in a year, grandparents hugging their grandchildren, people hugging their parents, there's nothing like that. That is truly a gift."
Tom revealed both he and Rita had tested positive for Covid-19 on 11 March 2020 while he was shooting the movie "Elvis" in Queensland, Australia.
They later donated their blood antibodies for virus research.
In an April 2020 interview, the actor jokingly asked credit for Covid-19 vaccine following blood donation. "We have not only been approached; we have said, do you want our blood? Can we give plasma? And, in fact, we will be giving it now to the places that hope to work on what I would like to call the Hank-ccine," he said.
He also shared the couple's struggle with the virus, "We had all of the flu-like symptoms. My wife, Rita, was a little worse off than me. She had a very high temperature. And we were isolated so that we would not give it to anyone else."
