Hoda Kotb absent from ‘Today’ show after testing positive for COVID-19

“Today� co-anchor Hoda Kotb is “doing just fine� after testing positive for COVID-19.

Before launching into news coverage Thursday morning, “Today� co-host Craig Melvin addressed Kotb’s absence from the broadcast and informed viewers of her condition.

“We should mention ... the reason Hoda is off,� Melvin said while filling in for Kotb alongside NBC’s Sheinelle Jones. Also gone from the “Today� studio was Kotb’s co-anchor, Savannah Guthrie, who is stationed in Washington, D.C., to cover the anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.

“Like many others, [Kotb] tested positive for COVID. But Hoda tells us that she’s doing just fine, and we look forward to having her back very, very soon.�

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Jimmy Fallon seems to have bounced back from COVID-19, while fellow late-night TV host Seth Meyers pauses his show for the rest of this week.

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On Twitter, Kotb thanked her well-wishers and confirmed she was “feeling good.� Before contracting the coronavirus, Kotb received a COVID-19 vaccine and booster shot. She is now isolating at home, according to NBC.

“Can’t wait to see you all when I am in the clear!� she tweeted. “Xo.�

Kotb is the latest NBC personality to contract COVID-19 after late-night TV hosts Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon said they tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this week.

NBC’s “Today,� “Late Night With Seth Meyers� and “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon� are all filmed at Rockefeller Center in New York, where the highly contagious Omicron variant is spreading and COVID-19 cases are surging.

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Another TV host recently diagnosed with COVID-19 is Whoopi Goldberg of “The View,� who appeared remotely on Wednesday’s episode of ABC’s daytime talk series to explain her isolation situation and urge viewers to get vaccinated.

Goldberg and her NBC counterparts have all experienced relatively mild cases of the virus after receiving COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots — which have proved to be the most effective way of warding off severe illness during the pandemic.