Yahoo Finance Kelly Price Reveals She Almost Died from COVID — but Says 'I Was Never Missing'
Kelly Price is breaking her silence after she was reported missing last week.
The 48-year-old gospel singer first announced on Instagram that she tested positive for the coronavirus late July and would be taking time to rest before she was hospitalized for treatment.
Anna Webber/Getty Kelly Price
Cobb County police confirmed to PEOPLE that Price was reported missing last week after she was released from the hospital. However, hours after news broke Friday, her attorney Monica Ewing said she was safe and not missing.
Price recently spoke to TMZ to clarify that she never went missing but has instead been quietly recovering from her tough battle with the virus. (Ewing would not specifiy whether or not Price was vaccinated.)
"At some point they lost me. I woke up a couple days later and the first thing I remember is the team of doctors standing around me and asking me if I knew what year it was," Price told the outlet, adding that she "died" when asked to clarify what she meant by "they lost me."
After her condition improved, Price said she was discharged because the hospital "needed beds," allowing her to go home with oxygen and at-home health aides who checked on her over the next four weeks.
"I was definitely being seen," the singer continued. "The people who could actually say something were not allowed to because of HIPAA law but I was being seen several times a week."
Price went on to share that she got her first negative COVID test last week but she is still battling after suffering "a lot of internal damage."
The singer explained to TMZ that she struggled to rest and "focus on me" because people continuously showed up at her home and her neighbors' homes at all times of the day and night. She said she decided to turn off her phone and stay off social media because of the many disturbances and rumors while trying to recover.
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"I was never missing. I was in my home being seen by doctors," Price said. "Everyone in my family knew where I was and I have to say that it's really disappointing that things came to this but it was not true."
"I have never been in danger," she added. "I am not in danger right now. I am focusing on putting myself first."
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On Monday, the singer thanked those who shared their well-wishes on Instagram.
"Thay you for your love, concern and prayers. I truly appreciate them and all of you who sincerely did them. They are not lost on me. I promise," she wrote, telling followers that she's going "back into solace and silence" as she focuses on her health.
Now, Price said she's focusing on rehab after having COVID in hopes of becoming "concert ready."
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