“General Hospital” star Steve Burton, who’s played Jason for about 25y ears or more, says he’s been diagnosed with COVID.
Burton says in a video that he tested negative, but tested positive right before he was supposed to get on a plane for Boston for a promotional tour.
Coincidentally, outspoken “GH” actress Nancy Lee Grahn had recently complained on Twitter about some cast members not being vaccinated. She was not happy about that, although it’s unclear if Burton was vaccinated or who she was talking about.
The whole issue of unvaccinated actors has been a soap opera not just for daytime but also for prime time casts. Their union doesn’t require vaccinations, or at least hadn’t until recently. Many New York casts and crews were upset about this because the crews must vaccinate and didn’t want to work with actors who weren’t. I was told that the only show insisting on vaxxes for everyone was the “Sex and the City” reboot. The cast members demanded it.
Looking at the daytime soaps, it’s hard to understand how they’re even filming those shows. At first there was talk of using doubles and human dolls, and editing together actors who stood far away from each other. But now they all look they’re right up in each other’s faces. With Delta here, and Lambda coming, and who knows what’s next, these shows are creating their own cliffhangers.
Burton says he has no symptoms. Other soap actors have tested positive and took time off. I’m told Burton’s scene partner on the show, Kelly Thiebaud, also tested positive a few weeks ago. I hope they remember “General Hospital” is not a real facility. Back in the 80s, the doctors lost most of their patients!