Following his release from hospitalization in Vancouver due to COVID-19, Richard Schiff (The Good Doctor, The West Wing), utilized his platform to put out a warning, according to Deadline. The actor and his wife Sheila Kelley (The Guest) revealed their COVID-19 diagnosis, despite their immense efforts to avoid contraction of the virus.

In an interview with his The West Wing co-star Lawrence O’Donnell (Big Love) on The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell, Schiff stated “It’s scarier than you’ve ever read and it’s scarier than you’ve ever heard,” via Deadline. Describing his and Kelley’s experiences with the virus, Schiff claimed that they were forced to have serious conversations about their potential deaths because “it didn’t look good there for a day or two.”

He continued to describe the virus, stating that “It wants to beat you. It gets into your system and makes you feel that wherever you think you can get a breath in, it’s going to get there and that’s where the cough is going to go,” via Deadline. He admonishes viewers that despite his efforts to keep his family home and learning how to cook in order to avoid any social interactions, he was unable to avoid this.

Even further, Schiff expressed gratitude towards the Canadian healthcare system and his The West Wing family. Watch the full interview below.