Colin Hanks gives update after dad Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson test positive for coronavirus

Colin Hanks thanked fans for their "outpouring of support" on social media Wednesday night after his father Tom Hanks announced he and wife Rita Wilson had tested positive for the coronavirus while in Australia.

"We are so grateful for the outpouring of support from everyone," wrote Colin, the son of Tom and his first wife, the late actress Samantha Lewes. In an Instagram post and tweet, he said, "My parents are receiving excellent care in Australia and are doing well (and in good spirits) given the circumstances."

The "Life in Pieces" actor added that he hasn't seen Tom or Rita in over three weeks and is currently in Los Angeles, but he has been in "constant contact" with them. He concluded the post by saying he is "confident that they will make a full recovery."

Tom Hanks first posted the news on Twitter, alongside a photo of disposable medical gloves in what appears to be a medical waste trash can. He explained that initially the couple "felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too." 

Now that they have received positive diagnoses, he said, "Medical Officials have protocols that must be followed. We Hanks' will be tested, observed and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires. Not much more to it than a one-day-at-a-time approach, no?"

The tweet led to an outpouring of support from fellow celebrities and fans alike, garnering over 200,000 retweets and more than 950,000 likes. 

The couple's son Chet Hanks also spoke about his parents' diagnoses in a video posted to Instagram on Wednesday night. 

Chet said he had just gotten off the phone with them and assured followers, "they both are fine, they're not even that sick. They're not worried about it, they're not tripping." He said they were going through the "necessary health precautions." Chet echoed his father, telling everyone to "stay safe out there." 

There have been 128 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia as of Thursday, according to numbers compiled by Johns Hopkins. Twenty-one people there have recovered from the coronavirus so far, and three people have died. 

In the U.S., there have been more than 1,300 confirmed cases and 39 deaths.

The World Health Organization declared Wednesday that the coronavirus outbreak spreading around the globe can now be characterized as a pandemic. There are more than 120,000 cases worldwide, and more than 4,300 people have died. WHO Director Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the organization is "deeply concerned by the alarming levels of spread and severity" of the outbreak. 

Caroline Linton contributed to this report.

In:
• Colin Hanks
• COVID-19
• Rita Wilson
• Australia
• Pandemic