Vaxxed Actor Melissa Joan Hart Gets Breakthrough COVID-19 Infection

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Copyright © 2025, Los Angeles Times | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | CA Notice of Collection | Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information Advertisement Television Vaxxed actor Melissa Joan Hart gets breakthrough COVID-19 infection: ‘Stay vigilant’

Melissa Joan Hart, shown in 2018, says she got COVID-19 despite being vaccinated. (Jordan Strauss / Invision/Associated Press)

By Nardine SaadStaff Writer Follow Aug. 20, 2021 11:17 AM PT

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Melissa Joan Hart has contracted a breakthrough COVID-19 infection, and although she was “feeling better” by Friday, she tearfully urged others to stay vigilant.

The “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch” and “Clarissa Explains It All” alum was visibly upset by her diagnosis as she shared the update this week from her bed.

“I got COVID. I am vaccinated. And I got COVID. And it’s bad,” the 45-year-old actress said Wednesday in a two-minute video on social media. In the caption, she wrote that she wasn’t posting the video “to be political or gain pity” but to share her journey.

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“This isn’t up for debate, it’s just how I feel today on my page,” she wrote.

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COVID-19 outbreaks have been increasing in L.A. County schools and programs in recent weeks, although not to the same extent as during last year’s autumn and winter surge.

Aug. 23, 2021

The former child star said the respiratory infection has been weighing on her chest and is making it hard to breathe. She said one of her three sons has contracted the coronavirus and suspects that the child got infected at his school, where mask mandates were not required.

“I’m mad, really mad, because we tried and we took precautions and we cut our exposure by a lot but we got a little lazy. And I think as a country we got lazy. And I’m really mad that my kids didn’t have to wear masks at school because I’m pretty sure that’s where this came from,” she said.

Though she didn’t name which child was infected, she said her husband, musician Mark Wilkerson, and two other boys, including her youngest son, haven’t been infected. She also voiced concerns about not being able to go to the hospital with them if they contracted a bad case of COVID-19.

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“[I’m] just scared sad and disappointed in myself and some of our leaders — a lot of people — including myself. I just wish I’d done better. So I’m asking you guys to do better. Protect your families, protect your kids. It’s not over yet. I hoped it was, but it’s not. Stay vigilant and stay safe,” she added.

California

Delta variant likely to bring a fall and winter of masks, vaccine mandates, anxiety

Many health experts believe mask mandates and tougher vaccine requirements will be needed in the coming months to avoid more serious coronavirus surges.

Aug. 20, 2021

Hart has homes in Los Angeles, Lake Tahoe and Connecticut. It’s unclear where she posted her update from. Reps for the actress did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment Friday.

In California, where in-person schooling has resumed, Gov. Gavin Newsom enacted a statewide mask mandate for K-12 students to further protect children under 12 years old who are not yet eligible for vaccination (though some parents have taken their objections to court). Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont also has mandated masking for K-12 students to combat the spread of COVID-19.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended last month that all public school students and staff wear masks indoors as COVID-19 cases involving the highly contagious Delta variant have increased in children and hospitalized many.

Still, despite the surge, several Republican-led states have barred local officials from imposing new mask mandates, whether through executive orders or new laws. But some school districts have required masking anyway.

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Nardine Saad is a former staff writer for the Los Angeles Times who covered breaking entertainment news, trending culture topics, celebrities and their kin. She joined The Times in 2010 as a MetPro trainee and has reported from homicide scenes, flooded canyons, red carpet premieres and award shows.

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