Derek Hough.Photo: Isaac Brekken/Getty
Derek Houghis on the mend aftertesting positivefor breakthrough COVID-19.
TheDancing with the Starsjudge, 36, made a virtual appearance during the season 30 finale on Monday night to share an update from quarantine, while his sisterJulianne Houghtook over hisspot on the judging panel.
“I’m feeling great, I definitely turned a corner,” Derek said. “I’m so sad I can’t be there with you all. Everything looks amazing. But yeah, I’m feeling good!”
“It’s a huge responsibility to take on, you know, all the choreography, the time, the blood, sweat and tears,” Derek said. “Y’all have been fantastic teachers, fantastic mentors to your celebrity partners. Congratulations to you all. And to all the finalists, strong and calm. Strong in the mind, strong in the body. You got this. Good luck!”
Julianne also commented on her brother’s health earlier in the night, as she gushed over her return to the show.
Derek first revealed the news of his breakthrough COVID diagnosis in anInstagramvideo last week.
“Even though I’ve been fully vaccinated, I’ve just been diagnosed with a breakthrough case of COVID,” he said. “I just found out and I feel okay. I feel strong. I’m currently taking advice from medical professionals to get better as fast as I can.”
“I’m currently in quarantine,” he continued. “I’ll make sure to keep you guys all updated with what’s going on, but I just want to send my love out there to all. Stay safe.”
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Derekhad a previous scare with COVIDand was absent from week 3 of the competition show in October. He returned to the show the following week.
Meanwhile, Julianne’s return to the hit ABC dance competition show comes about four years after she originally left her post as aDWTSjudge.
She first joined the cast as a professional dancer in 2007. She left two years later, then returned in 2014 as a judge, a position she held until 2017.
Breakthrough cases— COVID-19 infections that occur in people who have been fully vaccinated against the virus — are rare, but possible and expected, as the vaccines are not 100 percent effective in preventing infections. Still, vaccinated people who test positive will likely be asymptomatic or experience a far milder illness than if they were not vaccinated. The majority of deaths from COVID-19 — around 98 to 99 percent —are in unvaccinated people.
source: people.com
